Once A Wildcat, Always A Wildcat
by IGottaFindYou
Summary: Sharpay and Ryan Evans have to leave New Mexico, and when they finally come back,their homecoming is far worse than anyone could've imagined. Can the Wildcats still stand together, or stand PERIOD, after they lose one of their own? TROYPAY
1. Once A Wild Cat, Always A Wildcat

_Disclaimer : I don't own High School Musical, or High School Musical 2, and if I did, like so many other people, I would only want to takr Zac Efron. :) _

_Author's Notes: This whole story came to me basically in one night, and I was thinking of doing it as a oneshot, but then i realized that it would be too long, so I'm gonna split up into chapters, but since I had originally planned it out as a oneshot, it'll probably only be about three or four chapters, max...unless I get some more inspiration...and I didn't mean to make Gabriella come off so perky,so, apologies for that. :)_

**Once A Wildcat, Always A Wildcat...**

_You're not alone  
Together we stand  
I'll be by your side  
You know I'll take your hand_

It was that day again, the day of the big basketball championship game. This year it was between the East High Wildcats and the Red Lake Ravens.

Sharpay Evans actually had a faint smile on her face as she watched the East High cheerleaders running and skipping down the school hallway, followed by the basketball team, and she smiled a little wider when she noticed that Zeke and Chad had the great Troy Bolton sitting on their shoulders, as everybody whooped and cheered for their glorious team captain.

Just then, Gabriella Montez seemed to appear out of nowhere, right in front of Sharpay.

"Sharpay, I can't believe you and Ryan are leaving…! On today of all days!" she said.

"…Why not?" Sharpay asked, "it'll just give this school one more reason to cheer!"

Gabriella sighed.

"Sharpay, don't you get it?" she asked. "Do you not see that you have friends here?"

Sharpay let out a bitter chuckle.

"Ryan might, but I don't," she said.

"Sure you do!" Gabriella told her "…I'm your friend, aren't I?"

Sharpay, who had been glancing at herself in her locker mirror, glanced questioningly at the other girl.

"We're friends?" she asked, not believing her ears.

"…Of course!" Gabriella told her, we may have had our differences in the past, but…no two friends get along _all_ the time, y'know…not everybody thinks you're as bad as you think they do, Sharpay."

"So…we're friends…?" Sharpay repeated, still trying to comprehend the statement.

"Sharpay, we're Wildcats!" Gabriella told her, "and Wildcats stick together! So of course, I'm your friend, and Troy's your friend, and Taylor's your friend and Kelsi's your friend, and Chad's…well, Chad's gotten used to you."

Sharpay smirked.

"…But we're definitely gonna notice your absence when you leave for Baltimore," Gabriella finished.

"…Yeah, I still don't know why Daddy would choose to do business in Baltimore, anyway!" Sharpay told her, "I mean, it's greatest attraction is that it was the setting for that one musical that got so popular after it was made into a movie!" (**A/N** _…Which was of course, HAIRSPRAY! Just a little Zac Efron joke for ya…!)_

"Well, anyway, I was just heading to lunch, you wanna come with me?" Gabriella asked.

Sharpay actually smiled at her.

"Sure," she said, and they started to walk down the hall together.

"Hey," Gabriella spoke up again, "are you and Ryan at least gonna stick around for the game, after school?"

Sharpay grinned.

"Are you kidding?" she asked, "Ryan bought a new hat, just for the occasion."

* * *

Since Sharpay had a free period for the last class of the school day, she decided to take advantage of her free time and the empty hallway, and was cleaning out her locker.

She took the last few photographs off the inside of her locker, and put them safely in the box at her feet, with all her other school supplies.

She slammed the pink locker door shut, and was shocked to see none other than Troy Bolton standing in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, I was just on my way to the gym," he told her. "My dad is getting all the guys permission to skip our last class so we can have one final practice before the big game.'

"I see…" she said.

Troy then noticed the cardboard box, filled with books and posters and glittery objects, sitting on the floor, at Sharpay's feet.

"…So, you're really goin', huh?" he asked "…to Baltimore?"

"Yup," she answered, "Baltimore, glorious Baltimore…"

"Ah, c'mon…" Troy said, trying to cheer her up "…it's not like Albuquerque's got any huge attractions, either."

"…Well, maybe not, but…it's home, y'know?" Sharpay mumbled, looking at her feet.

"Hey…" said Troy, forcing Sharpay to look back up into his pretty blue eyes (oh, how she would miss those pretty blue eyes…!) "you and Ryan will always have a home here."

"…You think so?" she asked.

"Sure!" he told her, "it's like my dad always used to say, 'home isn't about where you belong, it's about who you belong with'."

"Meaning…?" Sharpay asked.

"…_meaning_…once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat," he told her. "We're gonna miss you around here, Sharpay."

"…Yeah, I'm gonna miss you guys, too," Sharpay told him, sincerely, then her brow furrowed. "But, uh…don't you have a practice to get to?"

Troy's eyes widened.

"Ah, crap! Dad's gonna kill me! Hey, I'll see ya at the game, Sharpay!" he exclaimed, taking off down the hall.

"Good luck!" she called after him, smiling. Then she picked up the cardboard box and walked toward the exit, taking the box to her car, so she would be ready to leave with Ryan as soon as the game ended.

* * *

This was it. There were seconds left in the game and it all came down to Troy making three foul shots from the top of the key.

The whole gym seemed to be under a huge cone of silence, everyone holding their breath, praying for a good outcome.

In the stands, Ryan, Sharpay, Taylor and Gabriella were all sitting together, watching intently as Troy took his first shot….

…and the ball bounced off the backboard and onto the gym floor.

The East High cheering section all let out small cries of disappointment.

Troy cringed, and the ref tossed him the ball again for his second shot.

...This time the ball went through the net with a _swoosh_.

The East High students all cheered, but they calmed down quickly, because Troy still had one more shot he needed to make to win the game.

After the referee tossed Troy the ball again, Troy dribbled the ball a little, then looked at Chad, who was on the middle of the key on his right side.

Chad gave him a wink and a nod.

Troy dribbled the ball a couple more times, then looked up in the stands, straight at Gabriella, Taylor, Ryan and Sharpay.

Gabriella smiled at him, her hands clenched together in excitement, Ryan and Taylor both gave him a thumbs – up, and Sharpay just smiled at him.

Troy smiled back at them, then he turned back to the basket, and shot the ball.

…It sailed through the air, hit the backboard, and bounced into the net.

Final score…Wildcats : 98, Ravens : 95.

Once again, Troy Bolton had helped lead the Wildcats to victory.

Everybody in the stands wearing red and white jumped up and screamed their lungs out in celebration.

"And WHAT TEAM…?" Chad shouted.

"WILDCATS!" they all shouted.

"WHAT TEAM…?"

"WILDCATS!!!"

Gabriella, Taylor, Ryan and Sharpay, were all jumping up and down and shouting with the rest of them, when Sharpay looked over at the gym entrance and saw her father standing there, waving at her.

Her smile faded, and she tapped Ryan on the shoulder to get his attention. He turned and looked at her questioningly, so she pointed to where their father stood at the gym entrance.

He looked where she was pointing and immediately understood.

So they said their good byes to Gabriella and Taylor, getting hugs from them both (which surprised Sharpay, because she didn't think Taylor would _ever_ like her enough to hug her!), and they made their way down the stairs, saying good bye to Kelsi also, who had been sitting in a lower section, taking photos for the yearbook.

When their feet finally touched the gym floor, they tried to get through the mass of people quickly, so as not to draw attention to themselves (for once).

But several members of the basketball team, Chad and Troy included, noticed the two of them trying to make a getaway.

"Hey, Evans!" Chad called out.

Sharpay and Ryan both stopped and turned around.

"You sure you don't wanna stick around and graduate with us? It's only five months away, after all!" he told them.

"We'd love to…!" Ryan replied, "but Baltimore awaits!"

Chad nodded, and waved, with a smile. Ryan waved back. Troy waved goodbye to Sharpay, and with a sad smile, she waved back.

Then the Evans twins turned and headed for the exit, not looking back again as they left.

"I wonder what we'll do without the Ice Queen around…?" Chad asked.

Troy shrugged.

"…Beats me," he replied, wondering the same thing.

* * *

_Has Troy Bolton seen the last of Sharpay Evans?...Of course not! Cuz then my story would suck, wouldn't it?_

_And since I already have most of the story already planned out, the next chapter will be up in a couple days, guaranteed. :)_

_If it's not, please don't throw fruit at me._

_...I've seen it happen to other authors, and I always pray i don't meet the same sad fate._

_ - Ace's Buddy_


	2. Graduation & Homecoming

_Disclaimer: If I owned the High School Musical franchise, I'd buy all of Ashley Tisdale's shoes from her...but sadly, I don't, so even more sadly...I can't._

_Author's notes: and if you didn't figure out the song stanza in the first chapter (even though I'm sure most of you did) the one song I'll be using throughout the story is "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne._

**Chapter 2 - Graduation & Homecoming**

_So far away  
I wish you were here  
Before it's too late  
This could all disappear  
Before the doors close  
And it comes to an end  
With you by my side  
I will fight and defend_

Five months had gone by since Sharpay and Ryan had left East High,, and Gabriella had been right…their absence had definitely been noticed by everyone.

It almost seemed …quieter.

"Of course, it's quieter!" Chad told Taylor and Gabriella, when they pointed this out "…Sharpay was like a psychotic banshee…you could hear her from everywhere in this school!"

Psychotic banshee or not, a lot of the East High students had missed Sharpay…though hardly any of them would admit it.

But today, not many of Ryan and Sharpay's old friends were thinking about them, they were thinking about how they would be walking up on to the stage in the auditorium, in two hours' time, and receiving their high school diplomas.

"I wish Sharpay and Ryan could've been here to graduate with us…" said Gabriella, as she and Taylor touched up their makeup in the bathroom.

(…Hey, I said '_not many'_, I didn't say '_none_'!)

Taylor chuckled, as she screwed the cap back on her tube of lip gloss.

"Oh yeah…I can just see Sharpay now…" she said "…demanding that the principal dim the stage lights to her liking so that she isn't blinded, or worse yet, looking pasty!...And then she'll demand that she be allowed to wear a pink cap and gown, because the shade of red we'll be wearing would clash with her hair…and then she'll ask if she can customize her cap with a few rhinestones…."

"Oh, don't even try to act like you haven't missed her!" said Gabriella, smiling.

"Oh, I wasn't…!" Taylor insisted. "It's been boring as hell around here without that girl around!"

Gabriella burst out laughing.

* * *

"…Troy Bolton!" 

_' This whole ceremony definitely wouldn't be as boring if Sharpay and Ryan were here...'_

"…Zeke Baylor!"

'…_Man, if Sharpay was still here, she might be blowing me kisses right now…! And I could've made her Happy Graduation cupcakes…!'_

"…Charles Danforth!"

_'Aw, man! Taylor heard him call me Charles! I hate it when adults call me Charles!...Sharpay would've had a field day with that…!'_

"… Taylor McKessie!"

_'AHHH! All those camera flashes…AND THE STAGE LIGHTS! AGH! I'M BLIND!'_

"…Gabriella Montez!"

_'I wonder, if Ryan had graduated with us…would he actually wear the Graduation cap, or would he have just attached a tassel to one of his red golf hats…?'_

"…Kelsi Nielsen!"

_'Oh please God, not another piano solo! – Oh wait, it's time for the diplomas…I'm getting my diploma! I'M FREE!'_

And once the last person had walked across the stage and received their diploma, then sat down on the risers with the rest of the graduating class, the principal of East High, Mr. Maxwell, finally made his last announcement….

"…Ladies and gentleman, I give you..._the East High Graduating Class of 2008_!"

Then Chad stood up.

"…AND WHAT TEAM?" he yelled.

"WILDCATS!" the graduates all cheered.

"WHAT TEAM?"

"WILDCATS!"

They all cheered and threw their red caps into the air.

* * *

Gabriella, Troy, Taylor, Chad, Kelsi, and the rest of the graduates were all so busy talking and laughing as they exited the building, that none of them noticed the two lone figures standing next to the large fountain…a teenage boy, nicely dressed in a jacket, dress shirt and dress pants, with a red fedora on his head to match, and a girl wearing a bright red sundress, with a white ribbon around the waist, and high – heeled shoes. 

"Hey, Wildcats!" The boy yelled, getting their attention.

Gabriella let out an excited squeal as she realized who it was.

"Ryan! Sharpay!" she exclaimed, running toward them and hugging them both.

Troy, Chad, Taylor and a few others ran over to see them as well.

"What're you guys doing here?" Taylor asked.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, you didn't think we'd miss a Wildcat Graduation ceremony, did you?" Sharpay added.

"You guys were in there? We didn't see you!" said Troy.

"Well of course you didn't! What with all the stage lights and camera flashes blinding you, Ryan and I were surprised you guys could see well enough to make it across the stage!"

"I feel bad that you didn't graduate with us, though!" Gabriella told them.

Sharpay snorted.

"Not me!" she said. "That shade of red you guys were wearing would've totally clashed with my hair!"

Taylor smirked at Gabriella, giving her an 'I told you so' look.

"Hey, we're all heading to Taylor's house for a pool party, you guys wanna come?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah!" the Evans twins replied, at the same time.

"Alright, we'll meet ya there, OK?" Taylor told them.

"Sure," said Ryan, "and now all we have to do is go home and look through all our luggage until we find our bathing suits!"

"Oh please, it won't be that painful!" Sharpay insisted.

"Well, of _course_ you'd say that seeing as it'll only take you about five minutes to find one of your _six_ bathing suits...!" Ryan pointed out."I've only got one!"

"Well if you were more _organized, _like ME - !"

"Hey, guys!" Gabriella shouted from across the court yard.

It was then that Ryan and Sharpay realized that their friends had left to go to their cars while the two of them had been arguing.

" - I almost forgot to tell you...!" Gabriella continued, "we'll be having the pool party and barbecue at Taylor's house, but as soon as it gets dark, we're gonna head over to Troy's and have an all - nighter party over there, OK?"

"Sounds good!" Ryan called back."Oh, but would it actually be possible for you to come over a little later and pick us up?Cuz Sharpay sold her Mustang before we left New Mexico, and I still don't own a car, and my parents are heading over to the country club."

"Sure!" said Gabriella, "I'll pick you guys up in about an hour, OK?"

"Alright, thanks!" Sharpay replied.

Gabriella smiled and continued on her way to the parking lot.

"It's good to be home, isn't it, Shar...?" Ryan asked, smiling.

"It definitely doesn't suck, Ry," Sharpay replied, also smiling.

* * *

"Oh wow, I can't even remember the last time I had a hamburger this good!" Sharpay excalimed as she bit into her burger."These are awesome, Mr. McKessie!"

"Glad ya like 'em, Sharpay," Taylor's dad replied, with a smile.

"I just can't believe we almost had to pay you ten bucks just to take a bite of that thing!" Chad told her.

"I've been on a no - beef diet!" Sharpay told them,"I know it seems hard to believe, but it takes a bit of work to keep this body in such fab condition, y'know."

"Yeah, well it's a good thing you finally made an exception, cuz my dad's burgers are not to be missed!" said Taylor.

The rest of the teenagers at the table all mumbled in agreement, food still in their mouths.

"Well, I'm glad you guys all had a good time, but it _is_ getting dark, Taylor..." Taylor's mother reminded her.

"Yeah, won't Troy's parents be expectin' you over there, right about now?" Mr. McKessie pointed out.

"Mm!" Troy's eyes widened and he wiped his mouth with a napkin,"he's right you guys, I told my parents we'd be there - twenty minutes ago, and they've probably got the house all set up by now with the pool table and the fussball table, and my dad was gonna set set up Guitar Hero in the living room!"

"Sweet! let's go!" said Chad, as they all rushed to stand up and leave," oh, but thanks for dinner and everything Mr. and Mrs. McKessie!"

Just then Troy started coughing.

" cough Butt - kisser! cough cough " he muttered.

Chad glared at Troy as the rest of the teenagers thanked Taylor's parents and went to leave.

"Oh, right!" said Chad, as he and Troy headed back into the house "...like you _really_ liked those brownies Gabriella's mom baked for you all the time...!"

"OK, mom, dad, so I'll be at Troy's house tonight, and Gabriella's gonna give me a ride home tomorrow..." Taylor told them as she picked up a few of the unopened chip bags and a large bottle of Creme Soda.

"Whoa, whoa, wait just a minute...where you goin' with all that?" her dad asked her.

"I'm taking it to Troy's house!" she told him.

"Uh, I don't think so!" said her father. "At Troy's house, you eat _Troy's _food...my food stays here!" her father told her, taking the chip bags and Creme Soda.

"But, dad - !"

"Go on, honey, your friends are waiting for you," her mother told her, kissing her on the cheek, "have a good night, baby girl."

"OK, g'night, and thanks for the barbecue!" Taylor called over her shoulder as she went into the house to grab her purse, then head over to Troy's with Gabriella.

* * *

As Taylor reached the driveway, she made her way over to Troy's truck. Troy was giving Jason a ride, while Gabriella was driving with Sharpay, Taylor, Ryan and Kelsi in her car, and Chad was driving Zeke, and a few other members of the Wildcats basketball team over in his car.

"Hey Troy, would your parents have any Creme Soda over at your house?" she asked.

"Probably not, me and dad don't really like it," he told her, "we're more..Pepsi people."

"Ah, OK, then I guess I'll have to get Gabriella to make a stop at the grocery store on the way to your house, cuz I love the stuff!" she told him. "My dad also wouldn't let me take the ketchup chips, so we'll get some of those, too."

"Oh, we've got ketchup chips over at my house," Troy told her.

"Yeah, but at the rate that Zeke eats them...? We're gonna need a few more bags for the rest of us," she told him, with a smile.

Troy grinned.

"Yeah, good point, alright, we'll see ya there, OK?" he said.

"Alright, drive safe," she said.

"Always do!" he said, as he backed up the truck out of the driveway and started to drive down the street.

Then Taylor went over to Gabriella's car, where the rest of the carpool party were already in the car, buckled in and ready to go.

"Alright..." said Taylor, as she slid into the backseat with Kelsi and Sharpay, Ryan was in the front with Gabriella "...so, we're makin' a little stop before we get to Troy's..."

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Gabriella, Sharpay, Taylor, Ryan and Kelsi were coming back from the grocery store with three bags ketchup chips and one large bottle of Creme Soda.

They were all chatting away (and in Ryan's case, munching away) as Gabriella turned the car down a residential street, where she would turn left when she reached the end of the street and drive the remaining five minutes to Troy's.

"Ryan! Stop eating the chips! We're not even there, yet!" Sharpay lectured her brother from the backseat.

"Exactly...!" said Ryan, as she munched on the chips, one open bag in his lap "...I wanna have some before we get there and Zeke devours them all!"

"He really does hog those things, ya gotta admit..." said Kelsi.

"You think watching him eat those chips is bad...? Try having to kiss him directly after he swallows them!" said Sharpay, as she scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"Ooh...! I feel for ya there, girl!" said Taylor, as the car was coming to the end of the street.

Gabriella smiled at them in the rearview mirror, but suddenly...

"GABBY, LOOK OUT!" Ryan shouted, as a cement truck suddenly appeared out of nowhere, in front of the car.

They all screamed as Gabriella stomped on the brake pedal and swerved the steering wheel...

And then, for one of them, everything went black...never to come back into focus...

* * *

_OK, so the last line was a little cheesy, but it's a very dramatic story, and sometimes it's hard to make dramatic stories like this without a tad of chesse added in!_

_And I still REALLY want Ashley's shoes...!_

_...Her feet are probably smaller than mine, but I don't care!_

_And yes, I promise the next xhapter will be up in a couple of days...I'm trying to keep a steady pace with this story, unlike my other stories...(sorry abouth those by the way! But I'm on a High School Musical kick right now so I'll be finishing this up quickly and continuing to work on my other ones! I promise!)_

_LOVE YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	3. Who, What, Where, When, How, and WHY?

**Chapter 3 –Who, What, When, Where, How and WHY…?**

_There's nothing you can say,nothing you can do  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
So keep holding on  
Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

Troy, Chad, Zeke and Jason all rushed through the doors of St. Aaron's Hospital and rushed to the front desk.

"Can I help you?" the nurse behind the desk asked. From what Troy could tell, she was at least fifty years old, African – American, and she looked like she'd had a long day.

So they all started talking…quickly, loudly, and at the same time.

"Hold on, hold on! HOLD ON!" the nurse shouted.

The boys all stopped talking at once.

"…Good, now, are you all here for the same reason?" she asked.

"Yes!" they all answered.

"Alright then, _one_ of you tell me what it is!" she instructed.

So once again, all the boys started talking at the same time.

"…Alright, alright! ALRIGHT!" she shouted, silencing them once again, she then pointed at Troy.

"You," she said "…what's the problem here?"

"We got a call that – "

" – TROY!" hollered Jack Bolton, running up to them, with his wife in tow. "Are the kids OK?"

"What kids?" the nurse asked.

But when everybody started to open their mouths again, she held up her hand.

"Never mind!" she said, then she gestured to Troy again, "this young man was just about to tell me."

Troy took a deep breath.

"We got a call that some of our friends had been in a car accident and were brought here," he said.

The nurse nodded, then began to look through some paperwork on the desk.

"Names…" she said.

"Oh, well I'm Chad Danforth, this is Troy Bolton, that's Jason Cross, Zeke Baylor - "Chad began, but the nurse interrupted him.

" – I meant the names of your friends who were brought in," she said.

Suddenly they all started talking at once, again, everyone giving out different names.

"HEY…!" the nurse yelled, "how many times am I gonna have to do this with you people?"

"…Gabriella Montez, Taylor MacKessie, Kelsi Nielsen, and Ryan and Sharpay Evans," said Mrs. Bolton.

They all looked over at her with in surprise.

Mrs. Bolton shrugged.

"I'm a mother," she said, "we have to have clear heads in these types of situations."

"Thanks, mom," said Troy.

"Yes, thank you," the nurse repeated. "Now, all those people were brought in about twenty minutes ago, and right now they're all up in the emergency ward on the third floor."

"Are they all gonna be OK?" Chad asked.

"Are any of you related to any of the patients?" the nurse asked.

"Well, no," said Zeke, "but we're all close friends."

"Well, I'm sorry, but that doesn't count, and since you're not family, I can't discuss their conditions with you," she said.

"Troy!" a girl's voice suddenly called out.

Troy looked over at the elevators, where the voice was coming from, and saw Kelsi.

They all ran over to her, and noticed that she had a small white bandage on her forehead.

"Kelsi, are you OK?" Troy asked.

"How's everyone else?" Mrs. Bolton asked.

"…And Taylor, how's Taylor?" Chad asked, slightly frantic.

"I'm fine, I just got a small cut in my forehead from when the car window was smashed," she answered, "and Taylor's gonna be OK, she and Gabriella were on my left side, so they were the farthest away from the truck when it hit us."

"So Gabriella's OK…?" Mr. Bolton asked

"What about Sharpay and Ryan…?" Zeke asked.

Kelsi suddenly seemed a bit hesitant.

"…Um…they did some tests on Gabriella, y'know, a breathalyzer, and some other stuff, to make sure she was clean and sober while driving…" she said.

"…And she was, wasn't she…?" Mrs. Bolton asked.

"Of course she was!" Troy snapped. "Gabriella doesn't drink, mom!"

"Don't snap at your mother like that, Troy!" his father ordered.

"Kelsi, are they all OK…?" Chad asked.

Kelsi bit her lip and gazed down at the floor for a few seconds.

"Uh…you better come up and see for yourselves," she told them.

Puzzled, they all went with her in the elevator, up to the third floor emergency ward.

When the doors opened, and they all came out, Taylor, who had been standing outside one of the hospital rooms with Gabriella, who was sitting in a chair, saw Chad come out of the elevator and ran over to him, tears in her eyes.

"Chad…" she sobbed, clinging to him "Chad…you're here."

"Of course I'm here," he murmered, his arms holding her protectively, "are you OK?"

She finally looked into his eyes, and he saw some tiny cuts on her face.

"Just a few minor scrapes, but the nurse cleaned them with some antiseptic so they won't get infected," she explained, "are my parents here?"

"They're on their way," he told her, "so are Gabriella's parents, Kelsi's parents, and Ryan and Sharpay's parents."

Suddenly, Taylor's eyes filled with tears again.

"Oh, Chad…" she murmered, once again crying into his t – shirt.

"Shh…" he murmered, rubbing her back lightly "…it's gonna be OK."

Meanwhile, Troy had made his way over to Gabriella. He knelt down in front of her, as she was sitting in a chair against the wall.

"Hey…" he said, trying to get her to look up at him, but she kept looking down at her hands, which were folded in her lap, as she cried softly.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

"I…I sprained my wrist," she told him, holding up her bandaged wrist, "when the truck…when we crashed into the truck, my wrist sorta got caught between my body and the steering wheel, and I guess I kinda…squished it."

Troy nodded and gently took her hand, so as not to hurt her wrist.

"…They made me take one of those…breathalyzer teats," she told him, "to make sure I hadn't been drunk while I was driving."

"Yeah, Kelsi told us," he said.

"The truck driver actually made it out with barely a scratch on him," Gabriella continued, "he's the one who called 911 for us."

"Well, that was…nice of him, I guess," said Troy," at least he didn't just take off."

"Yeah," said Gabriella, still crying, " he's talking to the police, though, cuz he ran a red light, and…."

But then Gabriella couldn't seem to hold it in anymore, and she started sobbing.

Still kneeling in front of her, Troy held onto her as she bent forward and literally cried on his shoulder.

"Shhh…" he murmered, "Gabbi, you didn't do anything wrong."

"But I was driving…!" she sobbed.

"But you were also sober!" Troy reminded her, "that guy ran a red light, Gabbi! It was his fault, not yours!"

"But the way I swerved…!" she sobbed.

"The way you swerved…? What do you mean?" he asked.

"Ryan and Sharpay…" she mumbled, choking back her tears.

"What about them?" Trot asked, then he suddenly looked around and realized that the Evans twins weren't in the hallway with them.

"Gabbi…!" a woman shouted.

Troy and Gabriella both looked up to see Gabriella's mother running toward them.

"Mom…!" Gabriella sobbed, standing up and walking into her mother's open arms.

"Gabbi…" Troy touched her shoulder, as she hugged her mom "…where are Ryan and Sharpay?"

Gabriella loosened her grip on her mother and turned back to Troy.

"They're in there," she said, softly, and pointed over Troy's shoulder, to the room behind him.

He looked where she pointed, then glanced back at her and nodded.

He then gave her arm one last reassuring squeeze before he turned and walked into the hospital room.

As soon as he walked reached the doorway, though, he stopped, and his blood froze.

There was Ryan, lying in a hospital bed, his face badly bruised and cut…and his eyes closed.

"They pronounced him dead about ten minutes ago," said a small voice.

Surprised by the voice and by what it said, Troy looked to his right and saw Sharpay sitting in a chair against the wall.

Sharpay, bright and sparkly Sharpay, the girl who always had some kind of fire in her eyes…was sitting in her chair , hugging her knees against her chest, staring at her brother with a blank expression on her face.

…No fire, no sparkle…as if her spirit had died as soon as her brother did.

"Oh God, Sharpay…" was all Troy could say as he sat down in the chair beside her.

"I wouldn't let the nurse put the sheet over him," she continued, "cuz…my parents still need to see him, one last time."

Troy nodded, but then Sharpay turned and looked at him.

"Do you think that was a good idea…?" she asked, "or do you think they would just like it better if he was taken to the morgue before they got here, so they wouldn't have to see him like this…?"

Troy stared at her, trying to think of a right answer.

"…You know your parents better than I do, Sharpay," he finally said.

Sharpay bit her lip and nodded.

"Yeah…" she said "…yeah, they'd wanna see him…one last time."

Troy said nothing, he just reached over and placed his hand gently on her arm.

Sharpay glanced down at his hand on her arm, then back at his face, then back over at her brother.

And the two of them just sat there in silence…trying to get a grasp on this horrible reality.

Ryan was Sharpay's twin, he was her best friend, her truest friend.

And now he was gone.

He was this huge part of her life, and now he was gone.

And she was left to deal with that.

She was left to deal with the fact that a huge part of her was now dead.

And Troy, the almighty teenage – Super Man , had to deal with the fact that he couldn't do a single thing to make her feel better at that moment.

…Though, he would give anything if it meant that he could.

* * *

_Yes, I know you all hate me now, don't you?_

_And yes, I know Ryan's the one who always dgets killed off, and it's not that I don't really love Ryan's character, but it was absolutely necessary for me todo this, in order for the story to go the way that I want it to...!_

_And the Troypay-ness will begin to escalate after this, so that's one thing to be happy about, right...?_

_Right...?_

_...You're gonna throw fruit at me now, aren't you?_

_breaks out in a Wyle E. Coyote - type run, in the other direction_

_REVIEW! And don't stop reading...cuz even though you hate me now, I promise you'll love me later!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	4. Laid To Rest

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own High School Musical…really wish I did, though._

_Author's Notes : You'll notice that no part of "Keep Holding On" is in this chapter, I did that purposely, not only because I couldn't find an appropriate stanza to put in (that I hadn't already used, or planned to use in the future), but also because I included a different song in this chapter, anyway, one that Sharpay's listening to at the beginning._

_Oh, and also, an FYI for you guys…I don't know what those really flat hats Ryan usually wears are called, or even if they have a proper name, so I just call them 'golf hats"._

**Chapter 4 – Laid To Rest**

One week after the accident, a sleepy Sharpay rolled over in her bed and faced the bright sunshine that streamed in her window, through her lace curtains.

Opening her eyes warily, Sharpay slowly sat up in bed, and then, as a thought hit her, she sighed and flopped back down onto her pillow.

Ryan's funeral was happening today.

So she had to get up, eat breakfast, put her makeup on, find a nice black dress to wear…and then she would have to go to the cemetery with her parents and witness her brother's burial.

"…Sharpay!" her mother's voice called through the bedroom door "…it's time to wake up, honey!"

"I'm up, I'm up…!" she replied.

She then got out of bed and walked to her closet, but then she seemed to change her mind and walked over to her stereo instead.

She put a CD into the stereo and turned it on, selecting the song she wanted to listen to… "Never Alone" by Barlow Girl **A/N** _which is a very fitting song for this chapter and I highly recommend that before you go any further, you go to youtube and find it…the one I found was attached to a Princess Bride fanvideo…but just ignore the visual and listen to the song)._

_'… I cried out with no reply_

_And I can't feel you by my side,_

_So I'll hold tight to what I know,_

_You're here,_

_And I'm never alone….'_

Laying back down on top of her comforter, Sharpay just laid still for a few minutes, and listened to the song.

_'…We cannot separate_

_Cuz you're part of me,_

_And though you're invisible,_

_I'll trust the unseen…'_

Closing her eyes, Shapray let a few silent tears roll down her cheeks.

"What am I gonna do without you, Ry?" she asked, speaking to no one in particular, because, after all, no one was there.

* * *

Later that morning, a slightly large group of people were gathered in the cemetery, listening to a priest speak , as he stood next to a headstone.

Sharpay, her parents, and her grandparents were sitting in the front row, on white folding chairs. Everyone else was standing behind them, in respective silence.

The priest spoke about Ryan, about his childhood and his family life, how he was such a good friend, and son, and brother. Sharpay just sat between her weeping parents, silent and still, only seeming to hear half of what the priest said about her brother…she knew everything about him, anyway, she didn't need to hear about him from someone else.

Right before Ryan's casket was moved to be put into the ground, Gabriella went to stand next to the priest, and, as previously requested by Sharpay and her parents, she sang an a cappella version of "Amazing Grace". Troy then came out of the crowd and moved toward the casket, something tucked under his arm.

When he reached the casket, Troy took Ryan's honorary Wildcats jersey out from under his arm and placed it, neatly folded, on top of the casket.

"Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat," he whispered, then turned and walked back to his place in the crowd.

As he walked past her, Sharpay closed her eyes, and, for the second time that day, let a few silent tears roll down her cheeks.

As Gabriella sang and Ryan's casket sank lower and lower, a light wind suddenly picked up.

Since Sharpay's shoulders were bare, she felt the chill on her skin, but didn't dare move to try and warm her arms.

She sat there for a few seconds as the wind blew around her, and then suddenly felt a hand on her left shoulder.

She turned her head and saw Troy standing behind her.

He glanced down at her and gave her a little wink, and in that moment, she knew that his small gesture hadn't been just to warm her up, but was also there as a sign of support.

The ghost of a smile appeared on her face, and when she turned back around to continue to half – listen to the sermon, she put her hand gently over top of his.

Her smile got a little bit bigger as she felt his other hand rest on her right shoulder…but, only by a little bit

* * *

After the funeral, everyone went over to the Evans' home for coffee, and a sort – of wake for Ryan.

While the adults were inside, drinking their coffee in the living room, and seeing if they could help with anything in the kitchen, the kids, Wildcats included, were outside in the backyard.

While most of the younger kids were chasing each other around the yard, Troy, Chad, Gabriella, Taylor, Zeke, Jason, and Kelsi were sitting around a table on the patio.

Walking through the kitchen as quietly as she could, without making herself known to the small group of women that had gathered around the trays of food on the counter, Sharpay, shouldering a large black tote bag, quickly made her way over to the sliding glass doors that led out onto the patio.

Sharpay was mere inches from the glass doors, when suddenly…

"Sharpay…! I almost didn't see you there!" Ms. Darbus called out to her.

Wincing (luckily, Ms. Darbus couldn't see that), Sharpay immediately plastered on a smile and turned toward her former drama teacher.

"Ms. Darbus, it's…so nice to see you again!" she said, trying to sound as pleasant as she could.

"The feeling is mutual, my dear…! Though the circumstances are indeed unfortunate," replied Ms. Darbus, as she put a hand on Sharpay's shoulder.

* * *

Out on the patio, Chad sighed.

"Poor Sharpay…" he said.

"Yeah, I mean, I can't imagine losing my best friend and my only sibling all in one night…" said Kelsi "…and in her case, they were _both_ Ryan!"

"Oh, well, yeah, that, too…" Chad replied "…but I was actually referring to the fact that Darbus kinda has Sharpay trapped in there."

Troy looked through the glass doors at where Chad was gesturing to, then he turned back to his friends.

"I'll be back in a sec, OK, guys?" he said, getting up out of his chair.

"Goin' to save the damsel in distress, I assume…?" Chad asked, with a smirk.

"Yes," Troy replied.

"Can I eat your bread roll…?" Jason asked.

"…No," Troy replied, then he walked away from the table, toward the house.

Jason slumped down in his chair, and, with a sigh, Kelsi handed him her own bread roll.

* * *

"…So, how are you doing, dear?" Ms. Darbus asked, a pitying expression on her face.

"Oh, I'm…I'm doing OK, really," Sharpay told her, unsure of just how much longer she could keep that smile on her face before her cheeks would start to hurt.

"Sharpay…!" someone called out.

Both Sharpay and Ms. Darbus turned to see Troy coming toward them.

"Hey…" he greeted, as he reached the young woman and the old…-er woman, "…uh, hi, Ms. Darbus," he said, greeting his former drama teacher, as well "…Sharpay," he continued, turning back to Sharpay," Taylor has something she wants to ask you, apparently it's important."

"…Important?" Sharpay asked.

"…Yeah," Troy replied, glancing from Ms. Darbus back to Sharpay "…and she's out on the _patio_ right now, so maybe you should go out there so she can ask you her _important_ question."

Sharpay smiled, she recognized an easy escape route when she heard one.

"Wow, sounds…important!" she said, with a laugh as she glanced at Ms. Darbus , who laughed too. Ms. Darbus glanced over at Troy, so Troy let out a little laugh himself.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Darbus, but we'll talk more later, OK?" Sharpay suggested, with a smile.

"Of course, dear," Ms. Darbus replied, "I'll be around, so just come and find me and we'll continue our little talk!"

"OK…!" Sharpay replied, and she and Troy both gave her a little wave, and Ms. Darbus went back to the chattery group of women by the counter.

As they turned and walked toward the door, Sharpay let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh…thank you," she muttered.

"Don't mention it," he replied, giving her a smirk.

* * *

When they reached their friends out on the patio, everyone offered Sharpay a smile.

"…Couldn't resist playing the hero, could ya, Bolton?" Chad asked, with a smile, as Troy sat back down.

"Well, maybe you can stand by and watch someone get cornered by Darbus, but I just can't…I'm a nice guy, after all," Troy told him, smiling.

"Yes, Troy Bolton, you're my new hero," Sharpay told him, as she stayed standing and smiled at him, "and every hero deserves a reward."

"Oh, please, Sharpay…" said Troy, putting up his hands in mock humbleness "…just knowing that you're safe is reward enough for me."

"Even so…" said Sharpay "…which one do you want?"

Troy put his hands down and, along with everyone else at the table, gave her a puzzled look.

"…What?" he asked.

Sharpay smiled and sat her large tote bag down on the table. She then proceeded to take a number of hats out of the bag and set them down in front of her friends.

"Sharpay…aren't those all Ryan's hats?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah…I figured it was better to give them to you guys, as a way to remember Ryan, rather than just let my parents give them to Good Will, with all his clothes and stuff."

"…And this is OK with your parents?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, they're fine with it," Sharpay replied.

"And you're sure this is what you want to do?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm positive," Sharpay told her, " I know Ryan would want this…he'd want you guys have something to remember him by."

"Y'know, there are a lot of memories we have of Ryan already…" Chad told her.

" – You don't have to take one if you don't want to," Sharpay told him.

"Oh no, I do! I was just makin' sure…!" Chad replied, grabbing Ryan's black and white checkered golf hat, that he'd worn during their baseball game the summer before.

Gabriella then reached over and grabbed Ryan's bright red fedora.

"…I always kinda liked this one," she said, putting it on.

Jason took the black fedora with the white stripe.

Zeke took the plain white golf hat.

Kelsi took Ryan's old brown fedora with a white stripe.

Taylor picked out Ryan's light green golf hat, and put it on, smiling.

Lastly, Troy picked up one of Ryan's only baseball caps. It had a green and blue plaid design on it, which didn't really suit Troy, but he didn't care.

"What about you, Sharpay?" Kelsi asked, "aren't you gonna keep one, too?"

Sharpay just smirked and took the last hat out of her bag…

…A bright pink golf hat.

They all couldn't help but grin.

"It definitely suits you," Gabriella told her.

Sharpay smiled as the rest of them nodded in agreement.

* * *

Later on, after Sharpay and her parents had said goodbye to most of their guests, turning down offers of, "do you need someone to stay with you…?" and " why don't I help you put away some of those casseroles…?" and even, "if you and Vance ever need some time just to yourselves, Sharpay is always welcome at our house," Sharpay, Taylor and Gabriella were in the kitchen, trying as hard as they could to pack all the casserole dishes into the fridge, and the freezer above it.

"Oh, wow…" Taylor grunted, "this one just won't get in there!"

"Don't break the dish!" Gabriella told her.

"Well, it's not like I'm _trying_ to, Gabbi!" Taylor pointed out.

"Don't worry about it," Sharpay told them. "Whatever we can't fit in there, I'll just send home with you guys."

Gabriella and Taylor glanced at each other, and with a sigh of relief, took the casserole dishes they were holding and put them on the counter.

"Well, my mom does like tuna casserole…but are you sure it's OK?" Taylor asked.

"You're never gonna stop asking me that from now on, are you?" Sharpay asked.

"Probably not," Taylor replied.

Sharpay just gave the two girls a weak smile.

"Just bring back the dishes when you're done with them, so we can return them to whoever gave them to us," she told them.

Gabriella frowned, looking into the fridge.

"Do you actually remember who gave you all these…?" she asked.

"Not a clue, but it'll be a fun guessing game," Sharpay replied. "Now, you guys have been a great help today, but seriously, go home, and take your complimentary casseroles with you!"

"But – "

" - Go!"

"You sure you don't need - ?"

" – No! Now out! Shoo!" Sharpay exclaimed, shooing them out of the kitchen and toward the front door.

"Alright, we're goin', we're goin'!" Taylor insisted, as she opened the door. "But just remember to call if you ever need – "

" - I will!" Sharpay insisted.

"…You promise?"

"Bet on it!" Sharpay promised, "Now, go!"

So Taylor gave her one last smile and headed out to her car.

But Gabriella stayed out, and turned to Sharpay.

"Sharpay…" she began.

"I'll call if I need anything, I promise!" Sharpay reassured her.

" – Troy and I broke up," said Gabriella.

Sharpay was stunned.

" – What?" she asked "…you two didn't break up because of Ryan - ?"

" – No, no, it happened way before…the accident," Gabriella assured her, "actually it happened about a month after you two left for Baltimore."

"Oh…" was all Sharpay could say, at first "…why?"

Gabriella shrugged.

"We just realized we had better chemistry as friends, that romantic spark just wasn't there anymore," she said.

"Oh…" Sharpay repeated "…why are you telling me this?"

Gabriella shrugged again.

"I just thought you'd wanna know," she told her.

Sharpay didn't say anything, so Gabriella just smiled.

"I'll call ya tomorrow, OK? Maybe we can do something this weekend," she said.

"…Yeah, sure," Sharpay replied, nodding.

" 'Kay…bye," said Gabriella, as she turned to leave.

"Bye…" Sharpay replied.

She watched Gabriella walk to Taylor's car and get in, then they waved to her, and she waved back, from the doorway.

Then Taylor pulled out of the circular driveway and as soon as Sharpay saw her turn and start to drive away down the street, she went back into the house and shut the door behind her.

* * *

_Anybody notice the High School Musical 2 song title I subtlely put in this chapter...? _

_I'm sure you all did! After all, you're SUCH smart cookies!_

_...What?...ME?...Suck up just to get reviews...?_

_I would NEVER...!_

_...Ah, who are we kidding, yes I would._

_ - Ace's Buddy_


	5. The Downpour

_Disclaimer : No, I don't own the High School Musical franchise….my closet would be HUGE if I did though…!_

_Author's Notes: You have no IDEA how anxious I've been to write this chapter….! And when I began to write it, I had no idea it was gonna be this long, so apologies if you don't like the really long ones…cuz this is most likely gonna be the longest one, yet!_

**Chapter 5 – The Downpour**

_When it gets cold  
And it feels like the end  
There's no place to go  
You know I won't give in  
No, I won't give in_

Four days after the funeral, the weather had gotten warmer, and the sky was beginning to cloud over…

…Sure signs that a storm was brewing.

At dinner, Sharpay and her parents ate in the dining room, like they always had. Only now, instead of a bright and happy atmosphere, where everyone in the Evans family would be talking all at once about what was going on in their lives (being the loudest, Sharpay usually got to go first), the room was quiet.

No one seemed to want to say anything.

Sharpay's mother sat at one end of the table, eating her pasta, not saying a word, not even asking her husband about his day.

Sharpay's father sat at the head of the table, eating his dinner roll and looking intently down at his plate, like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Sharpay sat near the middle, quietly nibbling at her salad, and, every so often, glancing at the empty chair across from her.

Suddenly, Mrs. Evans cleared her throat, breaking the silence.

"Uh, dear…?" she spoke up, addressing her husband "…maybe we should tell Sharpay our little announcement now."

Sharpay and her father both looked up.

"What announcement?" Sharpay asked, glancing from her mother to her father.

Sharpay's father cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Uh, well, Sharpay…" her father began "…For the last week or so, your mother and I have been talking quite a bit, and I've also been having numerous conversations with some of my business partners, and I… that is, your mother and I, have decided that…we're moving to Colorado."

Stunned, all Sharpay could do at first…was blink.

"…What?" she finally said.

"…Over the past six months, my list of clients has been growing constantly, and I've noticed that a number of them are in Colorado, more so than anywhere else – "

" – That's what you said about Baltimore," Sharpay reminded him.

"Sharpay…" said Mrs. Evans, in a warning tone.

" – Yes, kitten, you're right, I did say that about Baltimore, and unfortunately, things didn't go so well over there…" Sharpay's father continued "…but Colorado's going to be different."

"…And plus, your aunt Deidre lives out there, remember, Sharpay…?" Sharpay's mother reminded her. "We never get to see her. And you'll also get to visit with your little cousins – "

" – And we'll be far enough from here that we can just pretend that Ryan never existed, right?" Sharpay snapped, sarcastically.

" – Sharpay!" her father shouted.

"…That's not it at all, Sharpay," her mother told her. "Your father and I just figured that this would be a good business opportunity, and a good opportunity for us all to… reconnect."

" Reconnect?" Sharpay spat, standing up from her chair. "You don't wanna reconnect, you two just wanna get away from here and forget all about Ryan!"

"Sharpay, sit down!" her mother ordered.

"This place is home! That's why we came back here, remember?" Sharpay reminded them. "My friends are here, all my memories are here, Ryan or no Ryan, this place is my home!"

"You're acting extremely immature, Sharpay!" her father told her, "now sit down!"

"Go to hell!" Sharpay shouted, marching from the room, her mother was close at her heels.

"Sharpay, you will not talk to us that way!" her mother yelled, as Sharpay hurried up the stairs.

Sharpay didn't answer, she just stomped through the hall, went into her room, and slammed the door.

"Sharpay…Sharpay!" her mother called after her, from the bottom of the stairs.

Coming up behind his wife, Vance put his hands on her shoulders.

"Just leave her, Jessica," he said, "we'll be able to talk to her when she's calmed down, but right now, there's no way we can make her listen."

* * *

Up in her room, Sharpay was pacing so much that she was beginning to wear down several spots on the carpet.

Suddenly, Sharpay stopped, flopped down on to her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

…She didn't know whether to cry or scream, so she didn't do either. Instead, she took her cell phone off her night stand, flipped it open, and dialed a number.

"…Hello?" Taylor greeted, on the other end.

"Taylor, it's Sharpay, are you busy right now?" Sharpay asked.

"Uh no, I just finished dinner," Taylor replied.

"…So did I," Sharpay grumbled, glancing at her bedroom door.

"What?" Taylor asked.

"Uh, nothing," said Sharpay "but if you're not busy, would you mind picking me up at my house and driving me somewhere?"

"...Can't you drive yourself?" Taylor asked, curious.

"I – I could, I just…"

"Oh, right," Taylor cut in, understanding Sharpay's problem. "I get it…Gabriella's the same way. I've been driving her everywhere for almost two weeks."

Sharpay said nothing.

"She feels really guilty, Sharpay," Taylor told her.

"Well she shouldn't," said Sharpay, "it wasn't her fault."

"She thinks it was…"

"Well, I'll deal with her tomorrow, but Taylor, can you come pick me up or not?"

"Sure, where do you need to go?" Taylor asked.

"I'll tell you when you get here."

"OK, I'll be there in about twenty minutes."

"See ya then."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Sharpay saw Taylor's car coming down the street, through her bedroom window.

So, wearing only a thin purple t – shirt and designer jeans, Sharpay opened her window, climbed out onto her roof, crossed the roof as quickly as she could, and climbed drown the large trellis.

Once her feet hit the ground, Sharpay ran for Taylor's car, which was just coming into the drive way.

Opening the passenger side door, Sharpay quickly got in and shut the door, forcefully.

"OK, please don't break the door, I just got this car a month ago," Taylor practically pleaded.

"Sorry,' Sharpay apologized.

"So, where to…?" Taylor asked.

Just then, Sharpay saw the front door open, and her father appear in the doorway.

"Lava Springs Country Club," Sharpay replied.

"What?" Taylor asked, "but – "

"Just go!" Sharpay demanded, as her father started toward the car.

"OK, OK!" Taylor squealed, backing quickly out of the driveway.

* * *

A few minutes later, as they were driving down the street, thunder rumbled from the dark sky above.

"It's getting' ugly out here…" Taylor commented, glancing up at the sky through the windshield.

Sharpay nodded.

"Yeah…" she mumbled, her eyes glued to her window, watching the world go by as they drove further down the street.

Taylor then glanced over at Sharpay.

"Y'know," she said, "I'm not sure if you knew this, but the country club was closed today, because of the rainstorm warning."

"Don't worry, we're not breaking in or anything," Sharpay told her, "I know the security code for the front gate."

"…And for the country club building, itself…?" Taylor asked.

"We won't be going into the country club," Sharpay told her. "Actually, all I need you to do is drop me off there, I don't need you to stay."

"Sharpay, I'm not just gonna leave you there!" Taylor told her.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Sharpay insisted.

Taylor said nothing, she just sighed and returned her gaze to the road ahead.

* * *

When they reached the country club, the rain was starting to come down…hard.

Sharpay punched in the security code at the gate, and the gate opened automatically, allowing Taylor to drive in and park in the parking lot.

As soon as Taylor parked, Sharpay immediately opened her door and bolted from the car.

"Sharpay…!" Taylor called after her.

Sharpay turned back to her, already soaked from the rain.

"Just go Taylor, I'll be fine!" she insisted, then she turned around and broke off into a run, heading for the golf course.

Taylor quickly got of her car, pushed the button on her keychain to lock it automatically, then she took off after Sharpay.

"Sharpay!" Taylor shouted, attempting to be heard over the thunder. "Sharpay…!"

But Sharpay had either not heard her, or was ignoring her because she had already reached the swimming pool.

But Sharpay didn't stop at the pool, she just kept running.

"Sharpay…!" Taylor called again, and was about to continue running after her, when she felt her cell phone vibrate on her hip.

So Taylor moved over to the back doors of the clubhouse, trying to get as far from the noise as she could.

"Hello?" she answered, putting her finger in her other ear so she could hear the person on the other end.

"I just got a call from Sharpay's mother saying that she and her husband saw you speeding out of their driveway with Sharpay in your car!" Mrs. McKessie shouted on the other end.

Taylor tried not to groan.

"Yeah…" she answered, "we're heading over to the movie theatre to meet Gabriella," Taylor lied. "We're going to see the new Matt Damon movie, then we're heading over to Gabriella's for a sleepover."

"Really, cuz it didn't sound like Sharpay's mother was aware of that plan!" Mrs. McKessie replied, "and I know I sure wasn't!"

"I guess I just forgot to mention it, sorry!" Taylor apologized, glancing over her shoulder, in search of Sharpay…who she could see was already out on the golf course.

"Well, I don't accept that, young lady!" her mother told her. "Get your butt home, right now!"

"But mom - !"

"_Now_, Taylor!"

Taylor sighed as she watched Sharpay standing out in the middle of the golf course, her face turned upward.

"…Yes, ma'am," Taylor replied, then she said goodbye to her mother, and pressed the 'end' button on her phone.

Putting the phone back in her pocket, Taylor ran out to Sharpay, who was still standing in the middle of the golf course, in the pouring rain.

"Sharpay…!" she shouted, when she reached her. "Sharpay, we have to go! I have to go home, otherwise I'll be grounded for life!"

"Go then!" Sharpay replied, dropping her gaze from the sky, to Taylor. "I told you to just leave me here, anyway!"

"But I can't just leave you here all by yourself!" Taylor pointed out.

"I'm a big girl, Taylor, I can take care of myself!" Sharpay told her.

"…Why are you doing this, Sharpay?" Taylor asked, "why are we out here?"

"Well, you're out here because you followed me!" Sharpay reminded her, "and I'm out here…because I wanna be!"

"But why do you want to be…?" Taylor asked, "there's gotta be a reason, Sharpay!"

"Just go, Taylor! I'll be fine!" Sharpay told her, long blonde strands of hair sticking to her cheeks.

Taylor thought for a minute, then she turned and ran back to the clubhouse.

Reaching the clubhouse doors, Taylor pulled out her cell phone a second time.

"OK…" she said, thinking out loud "…I can't stay here with her, or I'll get pulverized by my mother…but I can't leave her here alone, either."

Taylor then stared down at the phone in her hand.

"Who to call…who to call…" Taylor wondered, out loud. "Gabriella! No, Gabriella wouldn't drive out here on her own, and if she tells her mother, her mother will tell my mother and I'll be in even _bigger_ trouble!"

Taylor continued to stare down at the phone in her hand.

"Who to call…" she muttered "…who would Sharpay listen to?"

Just then, a thought struck her.

"Of course…!" Taylor exclaimed, then she started dialing "…of course! How could I be so stupid…?"

After several seconds, someone finally picked up on the other end.

"Hello…?"

"Troy…!"

* * *

Twenty five minutes later, the rain was still coming down hard as Troy pulled up to the country club in his truck.

He immediately saw Taylor, standing near the entrance.

He ran up to her, even though she was only a short distance away, and noticed the scared expression on her face.

"…Where is she?" he asked.

A huge clap of thunder erupted from the sky above, Taylor seemed shaken by it.

"Taylor, where is she?" Troy repeated, more forcefully.

"She – She's out in the back," Taylor replied. "You can't miss her, she's the only one on the golf course."

"What's she doing on the golf course?" Troy asked.

"I – I don't know," Taylor stammered, "she's just standing there, letting herself get soaked, I can't get her to move. And I would stay here, but I'm in enough trouble with my mom as it, and if I stay here – "

Troy just nodded.

"OK, you go home, I'll see what I can do about Sharpay," he told her.

"I'm sorry, Troy…" Taylor said, starting to cry. "You were the only person I could think of that Sharpay would ever listen to – "

" – It's OK! I won't let anything happen to her, Taylor!" he told her. "Now, go home!"

With a nod, Taylor took off toward her car, got in, and drove away…but not without casting one last worried look at Troy before she reached the gate.

As soon as Taylor drove away, Troy sprinted around the corner of the building, and headed for the golf course.

When he reached the back patio, he stopped and looked out onto the golf course, and immediately saw Sharpay.

She was still standing in the middle of the rain - soaked golf course, and she now had her arms raised high above her head.

Troy ran directly for her, and as he got closer to her, he realized that she was…laughing.

Sharpay was indeed laughing as the rain splashed down onto her face, and drenched her body.

"Sharpay…!" Troy shouted, when he reached her.

Sharpay looked over at him and smiled.

"Troy Bolton!" she exclaimed "…my hero!"

"Come on, Sharpay, let me take you home!" Troy suggested, grabbing for her hand, but Sharpay pulled away.

"No!" she said, "No, I don't wanna go home! Besides, I like the rain!"

"Sharpay, if we stay out here, we're gonna get pneumonia!" he told her.

"I never invited you out here, Troy!" she reminded him, "you don't have to save me all the time!"

Troy just stared at her, a little shocked.

This girl was not the Sharpay he knew.

"Y'know, Ryan loved the rain, too…" Sharpay told him "he said it washed away people's problems."

She let out a bitter laugh.

"…If only, huh?" she asked.

"Sharpay…you don't have to deal with all of this alone, y'know…" Troy told her.

"Deal with what…?" Sharpay asked, suddenly glaring at him. "You don't even know what I'm going through."

"If you just told me – "

" – Told you?" Sharpay asked, letting out another bitter chuckle, "you wouldn't care, and even if you did, it wouldn't last long. You and all the rest of my "friends" will stop feeling sorry for me soon…so my brother's dead, so what? That's no reason for you all to be nice to me forever, is it?"

Troy said nothing, he just kept his eyes on Sharpay, neither of them caring that they were getting drenched by the rain.

"It's not like it's gonna change much, is it?" Sharpay continued. "The world will continue to spin, my brother will still be dead,Gabriella will still be a better singer than I am, my parents will still want to move to Colorado, and you'll still want to play the hero for any poor, lost soul that comes your way!"

"…Your parents want to move to Colorado?" Troy asked.

Sharpay stared at him.

"Yeah," she finally replied. "Yeah, they revealed their big plan to me over dinner tonight…they obviously didn't think my life was shitty enough, so they decided to grab a couple of shovels keep adding it on!"

Troy didn't know what to say, so he just glanced down at his feet and kept silent.

"It's not going to change much of anything, Troy," she said "…the only one thing that will change, is that now, when I'm in Colorado, I'm gonna be missing two guys instead of one!"

Puzzled, Troy looked back up at her.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

For the first time since she got there, Sharpay suddenly appeared shocked at her own words.

"Uh…nothing," she said, and started to move past Troy, toward the clubhouse.

But Troy gently grabbed her elbow, causing her to spin around and face him.

"No," he said, "it was something. What did you mean by, '…missing two guys instead of one'?"

Sharpay didn't say a word, she just stared at him.

"Tell me, Sharpay!" he persisted.

Sharpay sucked in a breath.

"Fine, you really wanna know?" she asked, shouting over the storm.

"Yes!" Troy replied.

"You honestly care - ?"

"YES!"

"…Fine!" Sharpay snapped. "It was _you_! Every day that we were in Baltimore, I was driving myself crazy thinking about _you_!...Trying not to forget your smile, and your laugh, and the sound of your voice…and every night, I would lie in bed and try to tell myself that I _hadn't fallen in love with you_!"

Troy was completely and utterly speechless.

" – But I had!" Sharpay continued, tears flowing down her cheeks that were almost unnoticeable because they blended in with the rain "…Troy, I've been in love with you since the fourth grade…when you lent me your orange pencil crayon in art class."

Troy still couldn't speak.

"…Say something!" Sharpay demanded. "Say something, Troy!"

But Troy couldn't speak, so he just put his arms around her and held her tightly, not letting her go.

Sharpay knew she'd never be able to wriggle free of his grasp, and she wasn't sure she wanted to, even if the gesture was just out of pity…

…So she just put her own arms around him and hugged him back.

* * *

_And, yes...that was ...Notebook - inspired._

_More fun to come!_

_...Cuz remember, they still have to get out of the rain, somehow...!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	6. Sheltered

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own the High School Musical franchise...I just think Ashlet Isdale and Zac Efron are both REALLY pretty ...!_

****

**Chapter 6: Sheltered**

After a couple minutes, Troy loosened his grip on Sharpay and looked into her eyes.

"C'mon, Sharpay," he said, "let's get you home, OK?"

He then took her hand and tried to lead her off the golf course, but Sharpay stayed put.

Troy looked back at her, nearly exasperated.

"Sharpay, c'mon!" he shouted, as the rain came down in torrents.

"I'm not gonna go home, Troy!" Sharpay replied, "not tonight!"

Troy sighed. He knew that there was no way he could convince her to go home…but he still had to find somewhere to take her where they could both dry off and warm up, before either of them got sick.

Suddenly, Troy got an idea.

"Alright, c'mon…!" he said, leading her by the hand as they walked off the golf course.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"…Somewhere where we can warm up and dry off, now come on!" he demanded, and continued to pull her along.

When they got to the parking lot, Troy headed straight for his truck, and seeing where he was headed, Sharpay stopped.

"Sharpay…!"

"Troy, I already told you, I'm not going home, and you can't make me!" Sharpay shouted.

"I'm not taking you home Sharpay!" he insisted.

Sharpay gave him a curious look.

"Well then, where are we going?" she asked.

Troy smirked.

"Just trust me, OK?" he said.

Sharpay said nothing, she just let him continue to pull her along until they got to Troy's truck.

When they got to the truck, Troy unlocked the hatch on the trunk, opened it, and beckoned for Sharpay to get in.

Once again, Sharpay shot him a curious look.

"I don't get it…" she said.

Troy sighed.

"Will you just get in the damn, truck, please?" he demanded.

With a shrug, Sharpay did as she was told and stepped up onto the bumper, then crawled into the large trunk.

"Stubborn woman…!" Troy muttered, as he followed after her.

Once Troy had climbed in, he closed the hatch and crawled over to Sharpay., who was sitting over at the far end of the trunk.

"It's…cozy in here," Sharpay observed, looking around at the small space.

"Yeah, it's also warm, thanks to the blanket my dad persuaded me to keep back here…"said Troy, holding up a large blue blanket "…and it's dry, since the trunk has a roof," he finished, tapping on the roof that was about an inch above their heads.

"…Now here, put this on…" he told her, giving her the blanket and helping her cover herself up "…you'll get pneumonia, otherwise."

"But what about you?" Sharpay asked, "you're soaked, too."

"But I wasn't out there for as long as you were…" Troy pointed out "…which brings me to my next question…what the HELL were you doing, standing in the middle of a golf course in the pouring rain?"

Sharpay shrugged.

"I was testing out Ryan's theory," she replied, "I was trying to wash away all my problems."

"Sharpay, you know you can't wash your problems away with rain," Troy reminded her.

"You can if drought's involved!" Sharpay pointed out.

"But it isn't, Sharpay!" Troy replied.

Sharpay sighed.

"I just…I had to get out of there," she confessed. "being in that house with my parents, and without Ryan…it's been torture, it was making me claustrophobic…so, I decided to go somewhere where there was nothing but wide open space…and nobody but me."

Troy put his arms around her, causing the soft blanket to tighten around her, a bit.

"What're you doing?" she asked, glancing at him.

"Uh…this way, you'll warm up faster," he told her.

Sharpay nodded.

"Thanks," she said, with a weak smile "…for everything. I know you probably didn't wanna come here tonight – "

" – Well, then you obviously don't know me very well, because the truth is, I was half way to the garage by the time I got off the phone with Taylor," he told her.

Suddenly, Sharpay frowned.

"Troy, why are you trying to be my hero?" she asked.

Troy rolled his eyes.

"I'm not trying to be your 'hero', Sharpay," he told her, "I'm just trying to be your friend".

"…Better late than never, I guess…" Sharpay muttered.

Troy didn't say anything.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Troy decided to speak up again.

"…So, you're moving to Colorado, huh?" he asked.

Sharpay sighed.

"…I'm definitely not crazy about the idea, but it's probably gonna happen anyway," she said "…just like when we moved to Baltimore."

Troy nodded.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you about that," he said "…why did you guys leave Baltimore?"

Sharpay turned her gaze toward the window and watched the rain fall outside.

"…My dad's business wasn't going as well as he thought it would," she replied, "and Ryan and I weren't really fitting in at school."

"…Care to elaborate on that?" Troy asked.

"Do I have to?"

"Only if you really want to."

With a soft sigh, Sharpay continued.

"…We didn't make many friends," she said, then glanced back at Troy "…OK, so we didn't really make ANY friends. Everybody looked at us like we were aliens from Mars, or something…they thought I was an oddly dressed, snobby suck – up, and they thought Ryan was gay just because he had a couple pink shirts and liked to wear fedoras."

"…All that means is that you guys were too cool for Baltimore, that's all," Troy reassured her, smirking.

Sharpay smiled.

"Y'know, their basketball team sucked, too," she told him "…and their spring production of 'Annie' was horrible, Rooster's moustache kept falling off, and the dog they got to play Sandy kept turning his butt toward the audience instead of looking at Annie."

Troy laughed.

"That definitely doesn't sound boring…were you in it?" he asked.

"Yeah, I was Miss Hannigan," Sharpay replied.

"Then I'm SURE it wasn't all that bad," Troy told her.

Sharpay smiled at him, but then her smile faltered.

"It's just not fair…" she said "…First we move away to stupid Baltimore, then we come back home, but we lose Ryan, and now we're probably not even staying here the whole summer before we move again to Colorado!"

"…But did your parents really sound definite about moving again?" Troy asked.

"…They definitely didn't sound like they were joking," Sharpay replied.

"Well then…we'll just have to make the most out of the time you have left, here in New Mexico," Troy told her.

Sharpay shot him another one of her curious looks.

"…Meaning what?" she asked.

"Meaning, it'll be at least a few weeks before your dad makes all of his business arrangements and your house gets sold, right?" Troy asked.

Sharpay shrugged.

"…Yeah, I guess," she replied.

"Well, then, for the next few weeks I am going to make sure that you leave for Colorado with even better memories of Albuquerque than you had when you left for Baltimore," Troy promised her. "Sharpay Evans, I am going to show you the time of your life."

"That's quite the promise, Troy Bolton," Sharpay pointed out, with a smile.

"It is, but you know me…I always keep my promises," Troy reminded her.

"Uh huh…but need I remind you that this summer is already off to a crappy start…?" Sharpay reminded him.

"I'm aware of that," Troy replied, "but y'know what? I'm not gonna let you dwell on that, anymore. I mean, of course you'll miss Ryan, I can't stop that from happening…but I'm not gonna let you mourn anymore, Sharpay…I am gonna give you a great summer, and you can't stop me."

Sharpay smiled again. "OK," she said.

"OK," Troy repeated, "now get some rest for now, and I'll drive us over to my house once the rain stops."

"But that may be a while," Sharpay pointed out, "it's still coming down pretty hard out there."

"That's OK," said Troy, "we'll just wait it out, I'm in no rush to get anywhere."

"Won't you be in trouble with your parents, though?" Sharpay asked.

"Nah," Troy replied, "I kinda rushed to tell them where I was going as I was running out the door."

"What did you tell them?" Sharpay asked.

"…That a friend needed me," Troy told her.

Sharpay nodded.

"…Taylor," she muttered.

"No, not Taylor…" Troy replied.

Sharpay blushed and returned her gaze to the window, but after a couple minutes, she looked back at Troy.

"Listen, Troy, about what I said on the golf course…" she began, but Troy cut her off.

"Shh…just get some sleep, OK?" he said.

So Sharpay closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the window, as she drifted off to sleep.

Troy smirked, then he gently took hold of Sharpay's shoulders and shifted her so that her head rested against his shoulder, instead.

He continued to hold her in his arms as she slept, and rested his cheek on the top of her head, as he listened to the rain fall on to the roof of the truck.

* * *

_The romance is blooming, the romance is blooming...!_

_Slowly but surely, people!_

_And I'm only planning on having a couple chapters after this, so the romance process will speed up a bit in the next chapter._

_Just stay with me!_

_And thanks for all the love guys, I really appreciate it!_

_ - Ace's Buddy_


	7. The Parent Trap

_Disclaimer: Own the High School Musical franchise...? No. But those shoes...! And Zac Efron...! My kingdom for Ashley's shoes and Zac Efron!_

**Chapter 7 –The Parent Trap**

The next morning, Sharpay awoke and looked around, taking in her surroundings, a little confused as to why she was in the back of a truck.

Then she looked beside her and saw Troy, still asleep, and the events of the night before came rushing back into her memory.

Sharpay then touched her hair, and found that it was still damp, but not soaked, and it had a nice wave in it that she was satisfied with. She then looked at Troy again, and had a strong urge to reach out and see if his hair was still wet…plus, his bangs were starting to fall into his eyes a little bit, and that just kind of annoyed her…

So she tentatively reached out and gently tried to brush his bangs aside, on his forehead.

Suddenly, Troy stirred at her touch.

Quickly pulling her hand back, Sharpay watched as he slowly opened his eyes…and when he saw her watching him, he smiled.

"G'morning…" he said, with a yawn, and slowly sat up.

" 'Morning," Sharpay replied, smiling.

Suddenly, Troy's eyes widened and he sat up even straighter.

"Oh shit…! It's morning!" he exclaimed, then cringed," ohhh…and I was supposed to drive you home last night."

"…You said that you would drive me home as soon as the rain stopped," Sharpay reminded him, then glanced out the window, "and it looks like it was raining all night…so you're still making good on your promise, don't worry about it."

" – Sharpay, out parents are gonna kill us!" Troy told her, scrambling to the other end of the trunk and opening the hatch so that they could get out.

" …Please, Bolton…my father's probably already at work and my mother's probably hob – knobbing with the ladies of her garden club…not giving me a second thought," Sharpay replied, as she climbed out of the truck, after him.

Troy closed the trunk back up, and looked over at Sharpay.

" But my parents are still gonna kill me, Sharpay," he reminded her, as he headed for the driver's side – door.

Walking to the passenger side – door, Sharpay waited for him to unlock her door from the inside (it was an old truck, after all), then she opened the door and climbed in.

" – Well, then we'll stop at your house first and I'll explain everything to your parents, it was my fault anyway, you were just helping out a friend, like you told them in the first place," she told him.

Troy glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow.

" I didn't tell them it would take all night, Sharpay…" he reminded her, as they both put on their seatbelts, and he started the truck. .

" That's because you didn't _know_ it would take all night," she pointed out. "Don't worry, I'll take the blame for it, it _was _my fault anyway…"

"Sharpay, I don't want you to – "

" – I know, but I'm gonna do it anyway…" she told him "…after all, we don't want your reputation to get damaged, now, do we?"

Troy rolled his eyes, and drove the truck out of the parking lot.

* * *

As he drove down the road, Troy took out his cell phone and started dialing his home number.

"What're you doing?" Sharpay asked.

"I'm calling my house to check in with my parents," Troy told her "…y'know, so they know that I'm – "

But suddenly he stopped, and held his tongue.

" – Alive?" Sharpay asked.

"Yeah," he replied "…sorry, I wasn't thinking – "

"It's OK," she told him "…really, it's OK."

He glanced at her, unsure.

"Hey, pull over," Sharpay told him.

"Why?" Troy asked.

"Because if you are gonna call use your cell phone, you shouldn't be driving at the same time, it's dangerous," she explained.

"But I wanna get there as quickly as possible, Sharpay…!" he told her.

"Well, then you either pull over, or you keep driving and let me call them," Sharpay offered.

Troy glanced over at her, then sighed and handed her his cell phone.

"…Speed dial 2," he told her.

"Okay," she said.

Sharpay then took the phone, punched the number 2 key with her thumb, and put the phone to her ear.

It started ringing, and then suddenly stopped as someone picked up on the other end.

" – Troy?" A woman answered, not masking her worry.

"Mrs. Bolton…? It's Sharpay Evans," Sharpay greeted her.

"Sharpay…?" Mrs. Bolton replied, a bit confused. "Oh, I'm sorry Sharpay, Troy's not here right now, actually we're not sure where – "

" – No, that's why I called, Mrs. Bolton…Troy's with me."

" – With you…? Why is he with you?" Mrs. Bolton asked.

"I was having a bit of an emergency last night, and Troy came to help me," Sharpay explained, smiling as she glanced over at Troy. "I'm sorry that he didn't come home last night, but when he came to help me we got caught in the rain storm, and we didn't think it was safe to drive anywhere."

"Well, so where were you then…?" Troy's mother asked.

"We were completely safe Mrs. Bolton, that's what's important, right?" Sharpay asked.

"Well, of course, Sharpay…but what kind of an emergency was this? Are you OK?" Mrs. Bolton asked.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Bolton," Sharpay replied "…Troy's just driving me home right now, so we'll be back in no time, I promise."

"Alright, well, tell Troy that his father and I want to talk to him when he gets home," Troy's mother told her.

"I will."

"Thank you for calling, Sharpay…and I'm glad you're alright."

"I am, Mrs. Bolton, good bye."

"Good bye, Sharpay."

Sharpay hit _end _on the cell phone and handed it back to Troy.

"Thanks," Troy told her, as he took the cell phone.

"Hey, it's no problem," she said, "I owe you a lot more than that, anyway."

"No, you don't," he told her.

"Yes, I do," she insisted.

When they reached Sharpay's house, Troy got out of the truck with her.

"Troy, you don't need to –" she began, but he interrupted her.

" – Yes, I do, I was with you for the whole night, they'll want to talk to me," he insisted.

Sharpay sighed, and unlocked the door.

When she opened the door and they entered the house, the maid was just coming down the stairs.

"Oh, Miss Evans!" she greeted, a pleasant smile on her face "…we were wondering when you were gonna show up."

"Yeah, that's all my fault," Troy told her, "ya see…"

"There's no point in explaining it to me, kid, I'm just the maid," the older woman told him.

"Are my parents here?" Sharpay asked.

"No, your father's gone to work, and your mother's gone to a meeting with her garden club," the maid told her.

Sharpay glanced over at Troy and almost smirked.

"I told ya so…" she muttered, out of the corner of her mouth.

"They asked me to give you this, though," the maid continued, handing Sharpay a small piece of yellow paper.

Sharpay took thenote, and the maid walked away, into the kitchen.

"What does it say…?" Troy asked.

Sharpay glanced down at the note, and her mouth set in a straight line as she read it.

SHARPAY

WE LEAVE IN 4 WEEKS.

- YOUR MOTHER

Sharpay sighed and just handed him the note.

Troy read it over, then glanced back up at Sharpay.

"…Four weeks, huh?" he said.

"That's what it says," she replied.

"Well then, no use wasting any time is there…?" he asked, with a smile.

" Mean – "

" – _Meaning_ that I promised you the best summer ever, and I'm gonna give it you…and if we've only got four weeks to pull it off, then we had better start right now," he told her.

"…You mean, with us going over to your house and getting yelled at by your mom…?" Sharpay asked.

Troy cringed.

"Oh yeah…" he muttered "…well, there go those four weeks, cuz I'm definitely getting grounded – "

" – Not if I come with you and help explain things to your parents…" Sharpay pointed out, and started to walk past him, toward the front door.

Troy spun around.

"Sharpay, you don't have to – "

"Yes, I do," she said, "I was with you the whole night, they'll want to talk to me," Sharpay replied, with a smirk.

"…Very funny," Troy replied, "but you already talked to my mom, remember…?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure your dad's gonna want to do some yelling, too," Sharpay reminded him, as she opened the door and walked back out to the truck.

Troy's eyes widened, and then he cringed again.

"Oh yeah…" he muttered, then he followed her out to the truck.

* * *

"…So you see, there's really no reason to punish Troy, when he was just being a good friend and helping me out," Sharpay finished, as she, Troy, and Troy's parents were all sitting in the Bolton's living room; Troy and Sharpay on the couch in front of the window, and Mr. and Mrs. Bolton on the couch across from them…their facial expressions blank, but their eyes angry.

"…But Sharpay, if you were stranded on the side of the road, why didn't you just call a tow truck?" Mrs. Bolton asked.

"…My phone battery had died even before my car battery did, and even then I didn't know what number to call for a tow truck," Sharpay lied.

"But then, how did you call Troy?" Mr. Bolton asked, glancing at Troy, who remained silent.

"Uh…a pay phone!" Sharpay replied, "yes, there was a pay phone about a block away, and I only had one quarter left in my wallet, so I called the first person I could think of…and luckily, he came!"

"Yes, that is very lucky…" Mr. Bolton agreed, still eyeing Troy, a little suspicious "…but Troy, why didn't you call us…? You had to know your mother and I would be worried."

"Well…uh…" Troy stammered "…the rain was coming down really hard, and you know how some cell phones can break up really bad in storms like that."

"…It's true!" Sharpay added. "I've had that happen to me a few times before!"

"Alright, well…" Mrs. Bolton sighed as she stood up, everybody else stood up with her "…Troy, since it was an emergency, and keeping in mind that Sharpay is leaving in just a few weeks, I suppose we can suspend your punishment, for now."

"Thanks, mom…!" Troy grinned, as he went to hug her, but she put up a hand, stopping him.

"BUT…just keep in mind that there will be a punishment, and it will be a big one," she told him.

"Uh, Sharpay would you like Mrs. Bolton and I to take you home, so that we can talk to your parents…?" Mr. Bolton offered.

"That's very kind of you Mr. Bolton, but my parents aren't home right now," Sharpay told him, trying to muster a smile.

"Oh, so they just saw that you were OK, then they left for work…?" Troy's mother asked, a bit concerned.

"Um, actually…Sharpay's parents had already left by the time we got to her house," Troy explained, glancing at Sharpay.

"They didn't even wait for Sharpay to come home first…to see that she was alright…?" Mrs. Bolton asked, now very concerned.

"I'm sure they were concerned for her, mom…" Troy told his mother.

"…Yeah, but they've both got busy schedules, so it's really no big deal…" Sharpayn put in.

"But she's their only child now - !"

" – Leslie, I'm sure they'll probably yell at her as soon as they get home!" Troy's father interrupted her.

Troy glanced at Sharpay, who glanced down at the floor.

" OK, well, it's nice to see that you're both alright, but I've got to get over to the community centre," said Mr. Bolton, "the kids don't have a basketball camp if their coach isn't there, after all."

"OK, bye dad," Troy said, as Mr. Bolton kissed his wife on the cheek and headed for the front door.

"Bye sweetie!" Mrs. Bolton called out, as her husband walked out the door.

Troy's mom then turned to the two teenagers.

"Well, I've got to go and make a few phone calls, starting with your grandmother, who will be wanting to know you're OK," she told Troy.

"Mom…Grandma lives in Texas," he reminded her.

"I know…so you owe me for some long – distance calls, mister," she told him, as she headed into the kitchen.

"OK, well, we're probably just gonna go to the mall, OK…?" Troy called after her.

"That's fine, just call if you're not gonna be home for dinner…or at all!" Troy's mother replied.

"We will!" Troy promised.

He then looked over at Sharpay, who was giving him a questioning look.

"What…?" he asked.

"Your mom's name is Leslie…?" she asked.

"Yeah…" he replied.

"Huh, I never knew that."

* * *

_Now, there's only a few chapters left...so things really start to get good, now...!_

_Thanks for all the great reviews, you guys! I appreciate every single one (even the girl who threw fruit at me :P)!_

_ - Ace's Buddy_


	8. Week One: Speechless

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own the franchise...but I'm still gonna look for those shoes on eBay..._

_A/N: ROMANCE! ROMANCE! ROMANCE!_

**Chapter 8 – Week One (Speechless)**

"So…" Troy spoke up, as they drove down the street "…what do you wanna do at the mall?"

Sharpay thought for a moment.

"…Same old mall…?" she asked. After all, she hadn't been at the mall since before her family moved to Baltimore.

Troy laughed.

"Yeah," he said "...same old mall."

"Well, in that case….I'll probably get a new bathing suit, then get a few tops, then a few pairs of jeans to go with the new tops, then shoes, then a new purse or two – "

" – Is there a time block reserved for eating in that schedule of yours?" Troy asked.

" – I'm thinking between the jeans and the shoes," Sharpay told him. "Do you need to shop for anything?"

Troy shrugged, still keeping his eyes on the road.

"…I'll probably just get a few t – shirts," he replied.

"That's it…?"

"That's it."

"…And you're just gonna tag along with me for the rest of the day, while I do my shopping…?" Sharpay asked.

Troy shrugged again.

"…Yeah, I guess," he said.

Sharpay nodded, then turned to look out her window...as she tried to contain her laughter.

Troy glanced over at her, puzzled.

"…What?" he asked.

Sharpay just chuckled, and smiled at him.

"Oh Troy…you don't stand a chance."

* * *

An hour and a half later, Troy and Sharpay were in Tropical Splash; a bathing suit store in the mall.

Not to mention…the fourth bathing suit store they'd been in since they'd gotten there.

Sharpay picked a white bikini off of a clothing rack and examined it.

"Hmm…I dunno, Troy, what do you think?" she asked, turning around.

But Troy was leaning up against the wall, seconds away from completely dozing off, right next to a rack of floral – patterned bikinis.

"Troy!"

"Hmm..what?" Troy muttered, as his eyes fluttered open and he came face – to –face with a bright pink bikini top.

"Oh good God!" he exclaimed, rather loudly, as he straightened up and pushed the bikini away.

The salesgirl at the counter glared at him.

"…Oh yeah, like you expect _this place_ to be treated like a library or something…?" Troy asked.

The salesgirl rolled her eyes and Sharpay laughed.

She walked over to him, holding the white bikini, along with a few others, and grabbed his hand.

"Come on…" she coaxed, pulling him towards the back of the store. "I wanna model some of these for you."

"Uh…what?" Troy asked.

Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"A girl always feels better about her purchases when she gets a good second opinion…!" she explained "…geez, I woulda thought that Gabriella would've taught you that already."

"Uh, well she does most of her shopping with Taylor…so I was usually left out of that sorta thing," Troy confessed, as Sharpay plopped him into a chair, in front of one of the change rooms.

"Well, not anymore," Sharpay told him, "now remember, I want your honest opinion, OK…?"

Troy gulped, and nodded.

Sharpay smiled as she stepped into the small stall and pulled the curtain across.

She then proceeded to come out and model the white bikini for Troy; followed by a black tankini, a light pink bikini with sparkles on it, and lastly, a bright red one – piece.

After she came out in the red one – piece, Sharpay frowned as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"I dunno…" she said, then turned to Troy "do you think it's too…Baywatch…?"

Nervously, Troy looked her up and down.

"Hey...personally, I always _loved_ Baywatch," he told her, smiling.

…The truth was, Troy had loved everything Sharpay had tried on…he'd _really_ loved _everything_.

Sharpay gave herself another once – over in the mirror, and wrinkled her nose.

"Hmm…" was all she said, she then went back into the change room to change back into her regular clothes.

When she came out, she was carrying the other three bathing suits in one hand, and the red bathing suit in the other.

"I'm gonna take these three," she told a salesgirl, then put the red bathing suit back up on the rack.

"I guess Baywatch isn't really my style," she told Troy as she went up to the counter and paid for the bathing suits, "it made me feel a bit too much like Pamela Anderson."

"Hey, Pamela Anderson's got some nice…qualities…" Troy told her, as he scratched the back of his neck.

Sharpay gaped at him.

"Troy…!" she exclaimed.

"What…?" he asked, as she walked past him out of the store "…I meant that…well, she's a vegetarian, that's cool, right…?"

For the next couple of hours, Troy wasn't boding so well with being Sharpay's shopping confidante.

When she asked him to look at her in the tops she tried on, he had no choice but to look at her chest, and when she tried on different pairs of jeans, he had to look at her butt.

When she was finished paying for the four pairs of jeans she'd picked out, she smiled and started to lead him out of the store.

"Well…time for lunch!" she announced, as they left.

"Oh, thank God…!" Troy exclaimed, nearly exasperated.

Sharpay smiled at him as they headed to the food court.

"Well, I warned you, didn't I…?" she pointed out.

"What…?" Troy asked.

"I tried to tell you that shopping with me was gonna be a challenge," she told him.

"Yeah, but I obviously had no idea what I was in for…" Troy muttered.

Sharpay obviously hadn't caught the real meaning of his comment, because she laughed.

* * *

As they walked across the parking lot, each holding quite a few bags (most of the bags Troy was carrying were Sharpay's, of course) Sharpay smiled at Troy.

"Well, Bolton, I'm impressed," she told him, "you managed to survive a whole day of shopping with me, not many people can say that they've done that."

"Well, then most people are just wimps," Troy told her, smirking.

When they reached his truck, Troy opened up the trunk and started to load the shopping bags inside.

After his hands were free, Sharpay handed him the bags she was holding, and he put those in the trunk, as well.

"Thanks Troy," she said, "this was a really fun day."

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" Troy agreed, closing the trunk.

When they got into the truck and buckled up, Troy started the engine, then glanced over at Sharpay and smiled.

"So…what do you wanna do tomorrow?" he asked her.

Sharpay blinked, surprised.

"…Tomorrow?" she asked.

Troy smirked.

"Yeah…tomorrow," he said "…I promised you an awesome summer, and I'm gonna give it to you…which means fun every single day for the next four weeks."

Sharpay smiled.

"Ok…how 'bout a movie?" she suggested.

Troy grinned.

"How 'bout two…?" he suggested.

Now it was Sharpay's turn to grin.

"Wow, two movies in one day…I dunno, that sounds like pretty rebellious behaviour," she said.

"Oh, c'mon…" Troy prodded, with a grin, "you're not plannin' on being a good girl forever, are you, Sharpay Evans?"

"Troy Bolton, I'm not even a good girl _now_," she pointed out "...but I'm also not much of a rebel, either."

"Sharpay, you snuck out your bedroom window to get a ride with Taylor so that you could break into the country club," he reminded her.

"That doesn't count…!" Sharpay insisted, "I knew the security codes! And the club is owned by my father! It's not like I was climbing over the fence to break into a stranger's house, or something!"

"But still…" Troy continued "…there's a spark of rebellion in you, Sharpay, and what better way to turn that spark into a flame then to get crazy, and go to two movies in one day?"

Sharpay sighed.

"…If I say yes, can we finally get out of the parking lot?" she asked.

Troy grinned, and his blue eyes seemed to sparkle…making him even more attractive.

"Yes," he said.

Sharpay nodded.

"OK then…" she said "…it's a date…or, a double date, I guess, seeing as we'll be going to two movies."

"…I don't have to bring you flowers, too, do I?" Troy asked.

"…I like pink roses," Sharpay replied, as they pulled out of the parking space, and drove away.

* * *

Later that evening, Sharpay was in her room, sitting on her bed and flipping through a magazine, when her cell phone started to ring.

She grabbed the pink phone off of her night stand and flipped it open to answer it.

"Hello…?" she answered.

"So what did your parents say when you finally talked to them?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Troy…?"

"The one and only."

Sharpay smiled.

"Well, they wanted to ground me and not let me go out of the house for a week," she told him, "but I told them about how you wanted to give me the greatest summer ever, since they're gonna steal me away to Colorado next month. I also told them that I would just keep climbing out the window to get out of the house, to which they told me that they would just seal the window shut."

"Ooh, that sounds harsh…so what did you say to that?" Troy asked.

"My exact words were, 'Good luck with that…my bedroom door locks from the inside, you won't get in…but if by some miracle you _do_ get in and seal the window shut, I'll just break the damn thing'."

"See…? I told you, you're a rebel," Troy pointed out.

"Nah, just a bit fed – up," she told him.

Sharpay heard him laugh on the other end.

"But your window isn't sealed up, yet, is it?" he asked.

"No…why?" she asked.

"Open it and look outside," he told her.

Puzzled, Sharpay walked over to her window, unlatched it, opened it, and looked outside.

"What am I looking for…?" she asked, as she looked out at the skyline.

"Look a bit lower," he told her.

So Sharpay did as instructed…and saw Troy standing on her front lawn.

He gave her a little wave.

"Hi," he said.

Sharpay smiled.

"Hi," she replied.

"So should I go up to the front door and risk asking one of your parents if you can come out to play?" Troy asked, grinning.

"They went out to dinner with some friends of theirs," Sharpay told him "…in Roswell, they won't be back until late."

"Ah…" Troy murmered "…so does that mean that you _can_ come out and play?"

Sharpay grinned and rolled her eyes.

"I'll be right down," she told him.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Sharpay walked out the front door, wearing a bit more makeup then she'd had on before, as well as her favorite pair of jeans and one of her new tops; a pink, camisole – like tank top.

She smiled when she saw Troy, leaning against his truck in the driveway.

"…Going out the front door this time, very gutsy!" he told her "…you sure the maid won't tell on you?"

"First of all, my parents never said that I couldn't go out tonight while they were away," she told him, "and second of all, the maid goes home at eight o' clock every night."

"Oh, so you've been alone for like, an hour…?" Troy asked her.

"I was," Sharpay replied, with a nod "…but now I have company, don't I?"

Troy smiled.

"You do, indeed," he told her, then he nodded to the truck "…c'mon, I wanna take you somewhere."

"…Where?" Sharpay asked.

"Just…c'mon," Troy coaxed, as she followed him to the other side of the truck, where he opened her door for her and she got in.

"Seriously, where are we going?" sharpay asked, after Troy got in the driver's side and shut the door.

"Well, do you trust me?" Troy asked, as he buckled his seat belt.

Sharpay gave him a puzzled look.

"What?" she asked.

"Do you trust me?" he repeated.

"Yeah…"

"Well, then don't worry about it," he said, as he started the engine and backed out of the driveway.

* * *

When Troy finally parked the car, after driving for about fifteen minutes, Sharpay realized where they were.

"Why are we at the park…?" she asked, looking out the window at all the people entering the park.

"…I thought you trusted me?" Troy asked, as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"I do, but – "

"Then don't question me, and just follow me," he told her, as he opened his door and got out of the truck.

With a sigh, Sharpay unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the truck, as well.

"C'mon…" Troy coaxed, as he grabbed her hand and led her out onto the grassy field.

They walked across the field and headed for a spot where a few dozen people were all situated around a large white gazebo, that was decorated with white lights.

In fact, Sharpay soon realized that the whole park was decorated in strands of white lights; they were glowing out of the trees and bushes, and even hanging off some fences.

The sight took Sharpay's breath away.

"…It's beautiful," she murmered.

Troy glanced over at her and smiled.

"…I know," he said.

She smiled at him, trying not to blush.

Sharpay Evans did _not_ blush.

All the sudden, a man came up to the gazebo and started to speak into a microphone.

"Alright," he said "…they took a break for a few minutes, but now they're back, so everybody give another round of applause for The Veronicas!"

Sharpay gasped.

"No way…!" she exclaimed, grabbing Troy's arm in excitement.

But Troy nodded.

"I read about it in a flier I saw at the mall, today," he explained. "It's a little charity concert they're putting on for the Children's Hospital, or something."

"Oh, that is so cool!" Sharpay exclaimed, "I love this band!"

"I know, why do you think I brought you here?" Troy asked, with a smirk.

Sharpay beamed at him.

"OK, we're gonna start it off a little bit slower, OK…?" said the lead singer, as the band got ready to begin their next set.

So the guitar music started up, soft and sweet, and the lead singer began to sing….

_' … Feels like I have always known you  
And I swear I dreamt about you  
All those endless nights I was alone  
It's like I've spent forever searching  
Now I know that it was worth it  
With you it feels like I am finally home…_'

Sharpay noticed that a few of the couples that were there had broken away from the crowd and started to slow dance.

She smiled, and a twinkle appeared in her brown eyes as she glanced over at Troy.

"…Dance with me?" she asked, taking his hand.

Troy smiled and nodded.

So they walked over to an open spot at the edge of the crowd, and he stopped and put his arms around Sharpay's waist, pulling her a little closer.

She draped her arms around his neck and smiled at him, as they started to dance.

_'…Cuz you leave me speechless  
When you talk to me  
You leave me breathless  
The way you look at me  
You manage to disarm me  
My soul is shining through  
Can't help but surrender  
My everything to you…'_

As the song played on, Sharpay and Troy kept staring into each other's eyes, until Sharpay finally leaned in…and rested her head on Troy's shoulder.

A faint smile appeared on Troy's face as he noticed that Sharpay's hair smelled like strawberry shampoo.

And they stayed in that spot until the song ended…just holding each other and swaying to the music.

* * *

_Next up...week 2!_

_The romance is blooming, the romance is blooming...!_

_So keep reviewing, please and thank you!!!_

_ - Ace's Buddy_


	9. Week Two: Clumsy

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own the High School Musical franchise, I don't even own Ashley's shoes, yet...but I did just get a new pair of shoes for myself today, so that'll have to tide me over...for now._

**Chapter 9 –Week Two (Clumsy)**

The following Monday, at around noon, Sharpay was sitting a table outside a small, downtown coffee shop, waiting for Gabriella and Taylor to arrive.

When Taylor finally pulled up to the curb, Gabriella immediately jumped out and rushed over to Sharpay.

"…Sorry we're late!" she apologized, when she reached Sharpay's table and sat down in the chair next to her.

Sharpay smiled, faintly.

"You're not," she said. "I just got here about fifteen minutes early because my mom dropped me off on her way to her book club meeting."

"Wait," said Taylor "…your mom drove you here?"

"Mm hmm," Sharpay replied, nodding.

Taylor rolled her eyes and looked over at Gabriella.

"…If it's not me driving you around, it's your mom…" she said, then glanced over at Sharpay "…and if it's not your mom driving you around, it's me or Troy! You two have got to start driving again!"

"I – don't have my own car yet," Gabriella replied, looking down at the table.

"Yeah, and I'm…saving money on gas," Sharpay pointed out, "and I'm saving the environment by car pooling!"

"Ba - loney," Taylor replied, glancing from one girl to the other. "You two are still both able to drive and yet neither of you have gotten behind the wheel in over two weeks!"

"Well, if you don't remember, Taylor, the last time I got behind the wheel – " Gabriella began, but then glanced at Sharpay and cut herself off.

" – That wasn't your fault!" both Sharpay and Taylor pointed out.

But Gabriella just looked down at the table, biting her lip.

"…I swerved to the left," she mumbled "…Ryan died because I swerved to the left – "

" – Ryan died because a cement truck ran a red light!" Sharpay interjected. "You saw the truck and you slammed on the brakes and swerved! Yes, you swerved to the left but lots of drivers have done that in that same situation, Gabbi!"

Gabriella lifted her gaze and stared at Sharpay, still not convinced.

Taylor stayed silent as she glanced between the two girls.

"It was Not.Your. Fault," Sharpay told Gabriella, in a hard, but reassuring tone. "Nobody is blaming you for what happened, Gabbi…nobody but you."

The three girls sat in silence for a few moments, then a waitress came over to their table.

"Would you ladies care for something to eat or drink?" she asked.

" – YES!" Taylor immediately replied, anxious to get rid of the tension. "Yes, I'll have a cappuccino, and a tuna - melt sandwich."

"Interesting combination, Taylor," Gabriella remarked, with the hint of a smile.

Taylor shrugged. "I guess I'm just a rebel," she said.

Sharpay smiled at the remark…and Taylor and Gabriella noticed.

"What…?" Taylor asked "…what's so funny?"

"Uh, nothing…I'll have a mineral water and a Caesar sal – " she began, then stopped, as her memory seemed to click on, and she remembered something Troy had said to her, the other day.

_"…There's a spark of rebellion in you, Sharpay…"_

Sharpay smiled.

Gabriella, Taylor, and the waitress all frowned.

" – Uh, I'm sorry, miss, what was that?" the waitress asked.

"You OK, Shar?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sharpay replied, smiling, then looked back up at the waitress.

" – Actually, scratch that," she told her "…I'll have a cappuccino and BLT sandwich, please…oh, and can I get a chocolate chip cookie for dessert, too, please…?"

As the waitress wrote down her order, Taylor and Gabriella stared at Sharpay in shock.

" – Oh, y'know what…? Just make it two cookies," Sharpay told the waitress.

"Um…OK, and I'll have some sweet tea with a chicken sandwich," Gabriella told the waitress as she glanced over at Sharpay, puzzled.

Once the waiter was gone, Gabriella and Taylor both turned to Sharpay.

"A BLT…?" Gabriella asked, "Sharpay, you know that has bacon in it, right…? You don't eat bacon."

"…A cookie…a chocolate chip cookie!" Taylor exclaimed, in disbelief, then she glanced at Gabriella "…you heard her order the cookie, right…?...Two cookies, she ordered _two_ cookies!"

"So I ordered two cookies and a sandwich that has bacon in it, what's the big deal…?" Sharpay asked.

Taylor and Gabriella glanced at each other, then leaned back in their chairs a little and squinted at Sharpay.

"…What?" Sharpay asked, seeming exasperated.

Taylor raised an eyebrow, while still squinting at Sharpay.

"...Two chocolate chip cookies…and bacon…" she muttered.

"…That stuff guarantees calories," Gabriella put in.

"…And Sharpay hates calories…" Taylor added "…doesn't she?"

"You guys, I'm right here," Sharpay reminded them.

"Are you…?" Taylor asked "…cuz this sure doesn't seem like the Sharpay we know."

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she snapped her fingers.

"…It was Bolton!" she exclaimed. "Troy Bolton did something to spark a little change in you, didn't he…?"

"What're you talking about?" Sharpay asked, "I just feel like treating myself to a cook -"

" – Sharpay, you spent all of last week with him, and you're telling us he has nothing to do with this…?" Gabriella asked.

"You never told us all the details of that week, by the way," Taylor reminded her.

Sharpay smirked as she thought about the events of the past week.

" – Ah ha! I knew it!" Taylor exclaimed, "I knew it!"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, though she still smiled.

"We went shopping together - "

"Seriously…?" Gabriella asked.

"Oh, that poor boy…" Taylor muttered.

" – Can I finish, please…?" Sharpay asked.

"You better…!" the two girls replied.

Sharpay smiled again.

" – We went shopping, we went to a late – night concert in the park, we went to _two_ movies in one day – "

"Oooh…" Taylor and Gabriella swooned, impressed.

Sharpay nodded.

" –It was his idea. Oh, and he also got me to eat a slice of pepperoni pizza at the pizza place, next to the movie theatre…"

"_Oooh_…."

"…It's true," Sharpay told them. "Oh, and the movies we went to…? One was an action movie, the other…a chick flick."

"You dragged Troy Bolton to a chick flick…? Oh, I commend you, girl…!" Taylor told her, clapping.

"…I'm not done yet," Sharpay told her.

So Taylor and Gabriella leaned in, eager to hear more.

"… We also went for a walk through town…" she continued "…fed some pigeons with an old lady in the park, raided a drug store and bought some totally random stuff – "

" – Like what?" Taylor asked, then Gabriella smacked her on the arm.

" – She was just about to tell us, Taylor!" she told her.

"Right, sorry…"

Sharpay laughed.

"…Anyway," she continued, "we bought some non – permanent hair dye, y'know, the kind that washes out in like, a week…? I got hot pink and he got bright red…though we still have to do the actual dying of the hair, and I don't know who's more reluctant about it, me or Troy. And we also got some fake tattoos, we're gonna put those on after we dye our hair, so we get the whole rock star look down. And today, I'm meeting him at the park."

"But I thought you said that you guys already went to the park…?" Taylor pointed out.

"Troy said that we were gonna see it from a different perspective, or something," she told them.

Gabriella and Taylor both glanced at each other and frowned, puzzled.

Sharpay just shrugged.

* * *

A couple hours later, Troy pulled his truck up in the driveway, and Sharpay, who had been waiting outside for him, immediately rushed over, opened the passenger – side door, and practically jumped into the truck.

"Whoa…!" Troy exclaimed "…eager, much?"

"Just shut up and drive, Bolton!...And tell me what the hell we're doing today!" Sharpay demanded, as she put on her seatbelt and Troy backed out of the driveway.

"I told you…we're going to the park!" Troy replied, with a sly grin.

"Yes, but what are we _doing_ at the park…?" Sharpay prodded.

"Things…that people do at the park," he told her.

"Are we feeding the pigeons again?"

"We're not feeding pigeons…"

"Are we throwing a Frisbee for somebody's dog?"

"We won't be throwing a Frisbee…"

"Are we busking…?"

"No busking…"

"Are we bird – watching?"

"We're not bird – watching…"

"Well, then _what the hell are we doing_?" Sharpay asked.

Troy just glanced over at her and kept grinning.

"…You'll see when we get there," he told her.

"…That's all I'm getting…?" Sharpay asked.

"That's all you're getting," Troy replied.

With a huff, Sharpay crossed her arms and pouted.

Troy reached over and turned on the radio, to try and at least lighten her mood a little.

_'…You got me tripping, stumbling, flipping, fumbling  
Clumsy cause I'm falling in love  
You got me slipping, tumbling, sinking, fumbling  
Clumsy cause I'm falling in love…'_

Troy laughed out loud.

Sharpay glanced over at him, puzzled.

"What's so funny…?" she asked.

"Uh…uh, nothing," Troy stuttered, still grinning. "It's just, I really like this song, that's all."

Sharpay just rolled her eyes and turned her head to gaze out the window.

Troy glanced at her for a moment, then returned his gaze to the road…

…But his smile did not falter.

* * *

"...Troy, no!"

"C'mon, it won't be that bad…"

"Yes, it will Troy, I can't do it!"

"Oh, come on…" Troy persisted "…it's not like it's your first time!"

He then picked up the pair of pink rollerblades that were sitting at his feet.

"C'mon…do you think it as easy for a guy like me to buy pink rollerblades…?" he asked "…you owe me for this, you know you do."

"I never asked you to do this!" Sharpay pointed out "…and I never would have because I suck at rollerblading!"

"Ryan once told me that you haven't tried rollerblading since you were seven," Troy told her.

"Yeah!" she answered, "and I kept falling on my butt…! So, obviously, this is a waste of time…!"

"No, it's not, I promise!" he insisted. "Look, Sharpay, I know better than anyone that this summer is important to you…so why then would I get you to try something that was just a waste of time?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"C'mon…" Troy persisted, then pointed down to a black pair of rollerblades that were sitting on the ground next to the pink pair. "Look, I'm gonna be rollerblading with you, see…? I'll even hold your hand, so if you fall down, I will, too."

Sharpay still seemed uncertain.

Troy then picked up the pink rollerblades again, and gave Sharpay his best puppy – dog face.

"Please…?" he asked, timidly.

Sharpay groaned and took the rollerblades from him.

"Fine," she said, "but I'm not doing it because of your stupid puppy – dog face, I'm just doing it so you'll quit nagging me…your puppy – dog face is just plain awful."

"Yeah, this coming from the girl who mastered said facial expression by the age of what…three?" Troy asked.

"You're damn right I did," Sharpay replied, then she began to walk toward a park bench. "OK, now at least help me put these on…"

So Troy helped her put her rollerblades on, and after he had his on, he grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bench, and they began to roll down the path together.

Sharpay definitely hadn't been exaggerating, Troy quickly found out…she really wasn't that great at rollerblading. But, just like he promised, he held her hand, so that every time she would fall sideways onto the grass, he would go down with her.

After about half an hour, Sharpay was ready to stop.

"Troy…can we please rest now?" she whined.

Troy smirked and shook his head.

"Shar, we've only been at this for like half an hour!" he reminded her.

"Yes, but if you're forgetting, I haven't done this since I was little…!" Sharpay pointed out. "My feet aren't used this yet, can't we just stop for like, five minutes?"

Troy rolled his eyes.

"OK," he said, and pointed to a spot about ten feet away, "look, there's park bench right over there, we can sit down for a few minutes when we get there…it's only a few feet away."

Sharpay sighed and nodded.

"OK," she said, "well, let's go, then!"

So she pulled him along, eager to make it to the bench…

……But what she didn't seem to notice was the speed bump that was right in front of her, on the path.

When her rollerblades hit the bump, at the speed Sharpay was going she immediately started to fall sideways.

With a short squeal, she fell on to the grass…and Troy fell right on top of her.

"Whoa…!" Troy exclaimed, as his body slammed into hers.

She looked up at him, looking down at her, his bright blue eyes showing concern.

"…You OK?" he asked.

Sharpay couldn't help but smile as she looked into his blue eyes, and felt his warm breath on her face….

"Yeah, I'm fine…" she said, then, snapping out of her daze, she began to sit up.

"…I told you I sucked at this, Bolton," she said, as she planted her hands on the grass behind her, for support.

Troy, who was now kneeling in front of her, rather than lying on top of her, just smirked.

"Hey, I live for adventure…" he said, as he plopped down beside her, in the grass.

Sharpay smiled.

"Wow…" she said "…being a rebel rocks."

Troy grinned.

"Yeah, it really does," he said, then reached out and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind Sharpay's ear "…especially when you've got somebody to be rebellious with you."

Sharpay bit her lip and tried extremely hard not to blush.

Troy smirked, and started to get up off the ground, offering his hand to her as he did so.

"C'mon," he said "…break time's over."

Sharpay smirked, took his hand and let him pull her up.

"OK…but y'know we're gonna have to leave soon, if you wanna make it back to your house for dinner," she told him.

Troy frowned, confused.

"My mom doesn't even set the table until six," he said, "we've got loads of time."

Sharpay's smirk turned into a full – fledged smile.

"True…" she agreed "…but I think you're forgetting about the other activity that we had planned for today."

Troy was still confused…until his memory seemed to kick in.

"Oh yeah…" he muttered. "Y'know, we don't actually have to do that – "

" – Yes we do," Sharpay told him, grinning "…we're rebels, aren't we?"

Troy rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Alright…" he muttered "…we'll do it."

Sharpay beamed at him.

* * *

Later that afternoon, the doorbell rang at the Danforth house.

So Chad went to answer the door, and when he opened it…he laughed out loud.

…Because his best friend was standing in front of him, and not only was his hair bright red (to the point of almost being pink), but his hair was also styled into a Mohawk.

"Oh…oh wow…!" Chad sputtered, trying to control his laughter.

Troy groaned.

"Will ya just let me in…?" he begged, checking over his shoulder to see if anyone had seen him.

"Well, I dunno…" Chad said, chuckling "…my mom doesn't really like me having punk rock band practices in the house…!"

"Shut up…!" Troy replied, as he pushed past Chad and walked into the house.

"…Or clowns!"

"Shut up again!"

Chad closed the door behind him, then turned around and gave Troy another once - over.

"So…" he said, his laughter finally subsiding "…where's the tattoo?"

Troy blinked.

"What…?" he asked.

Chad grinned.

"Taylor told me that you and Sharpay were getting dye – jobs and _and_ tattoos today," he told him.

Troy groaned and walked into the living room.

"Sharpay told Taylor…?" he asked, as he flopped down on to the couch.

"_Of course_ Sharpay told Taylor…!" Chad exclaimed, as he sat down in the recliner next to the couch, then cleared his throat "…and Gabriella."

Troy groaned.

"…They're girls, man, what did you expect?" Chad asked. "They're whole gender is one giant network, and since I'm dating a member of that gender…I get to be tapped into that network."

"Well, lucky you…" Troy grumbled.

"What's the matter, I thought you wanted to show Sharpay a rebellious, fun time…?" Chad reminded him, smirking.

"I did…I _do_, I just didn't think that it would have me looking like …this!" Troy explained, gesturing to his head.

"Did Sharpay dye your hair for you…?" Chad asked.

Troy shook his head.

"No…we each dyed our own hair," he replied.

"Well, then Sharpay probably looks – "

" – Oh no, Sharpay looks great…!" Troy told him. "She gets her hair highlighted every few months, she knows how it's done!...No, she's got some hot pink streaks in her hair, and she looks great...she came out lookin' very rock 'n roll, while I came out looking …"

"…Very..Gay Pride?" Chad finished, trying not to laugh again.

"Pretty much," Troy agreed. "The good news is that when I called Fulton and explained the situation, he let me have time off until next week…or until the dye washes out, whichever comes first."

"Well, that gives you a lot more free time to take…lots of showers," Chad told him, smirking.

Troy rolled his eyes.

"So, uh…did Sharpay take any pictures while this hair – dying process was going on…?" Chad asked.

Troy gave him a suspicious look.

"Yeah…" he told him "…why?"

Chad grinned.

"…Does that mean that I can, too?" he asked.

Troy's eyes widened.

"No!" he told him "…no way! Hell no, Chad…!"

But Chad had already taken out his cell phone and begun to snap pictures of his friend, and his brightly colored hair.

"…Sorry man, but I can't pass this up!" he told him, as he laughed and snapped picture after picture.

Troy lunged for him.

"…Gimme the phone, Chad!" he ordered, trying to take it away from him

"…No way, man!" Chad laughed, as the two of them dropped to the floor and started wrestling…Chad waving the phone around, out of Troy's reach.

Finally out of breath, Troy sat up, allowing Chad to do the same.

"Fine…" Troy said, panting "…but if you show those pictures to anyone, I will hunt you down…and put so much dye in that 'fro of yours, it'll look like a clown wig, you got it?"

"Understood, bro…this'll be for my own private collection," Chad told him.

Troy nodded.

"…Thank you," he said, his chest still heaving.

"Troy, why are you doing this for Sharpay, anyway?" Chad asked.

"Well, I didn't think it would turn out like – "

" – No, I'm not talking about the hair," Chad told him "..well, I guess I am a little, but what I really wanna know is…why are you trying so hard, just for Sharpay?"

"What do you mean…?" Troy asked.

"Troy, you're dying your hair with her, you're going to movies with her, you're teaching her how to rollerblade…you've been hanging out with her, practically every day for the past week!" Chadpointed out..

"Well, if you don't remember, she kinda had a crappy start to her summer…" Troy reminded him "…and now she's leaving again, in just a few weeks, and it's obvious that she's not happy about it, seeing as how she's only been _back_ here for a few weeks - !"

" – I know, I know…!" Chad interrupted, putting up his hands in mock – surrender.

" – Then why'd you ask, Chad?" Troy asked.

Chad sighed.

"…It just seems that, ever since Ryan…well, what happened to Ryan…you've kinda seemed like you have to be Sharpay's hero, or something," Chad told him.

Troy groaned.

" – I'm not trying to be her damn hero…!" he argued "…I've just chosen to be her friend!"

"Her…friend?" Chad asked "…that's it?"

"That's it!" Troy replied.

"Really…?" Chad asked, scratching the back of his neck "…cuz I uh…saw you two in the park last week…"

Troy frowned in confusion.

"…What, feeding the pigeons…?" he asked.

"No…" Chad replied "…dancing."

Troy stayed silent.

"…And if you really are trying to be her friend, I'd tone it down a little, cuz to another innocent on – looker it may actually look like you were Sharpay's – "

Troy stood up.

"…I gotta get home for dinner," he said

"But Troy, your mom won't even start setting the table for another half an hour …" Chad reminded him.

"…Yeah, but if I walk through the door while she's setting the table, she'll probably end up dropping a few dishes on the floor, before she drops to the floor herself…" Troy told him, as he reached the front door and opened it "…see ya, man."

Chad reached the doorway just in time to see Troy heading down the driveway, toward his truck.

"Bolton, what is goin' on with you, now…?" he murmered, as he watched his best friend back his truck out of the driveway.

…Little did Chad know that in the trunk of that truck, there were now two blankets, instead of one…and one black pair of rollerblades…while an identical, pink pair were sitting in the corner of a large bedroom in the Evans home.

…Sitting directly underneath a picture of a boy with a bright red hair…that was taped to the side of Sharpay's bookcase.

* * *

_And as an important note...that 'Gay Pride' comment was in no way an attempt to insult homosexuals...men or women._

_And the song stanza used in this chapter (when Troy and Sharpay were in the car) was from the song "Clumsy" by Fergie._

_Review, please!_

_ - Ace's Buddy_


	10. Week Three: Shut Up And Drive

_Disclaimer: No…it's not mine…leave me alone, I'm still upset over the fact that I don't have Zac Efron...or those cute gold high heels that Ashley Tisdale wears in the opening number of High School Musical 2._

_Author's Notes: Oh, Good Glory…I just found a Troypay fan video for "Clumsy" ( in other words, the last song I used in this story) on YouTube…you guys should check it out, it's really cool.._

**Chapter 10 – Week Three (Shut Up And Drive)**

One week later, at 8 am sharp, Troy awoke to the sound of his alarm clock.

"…I already graduated, I'm not goin' back to school…!" he groaned, keeping his eyes shut.

"…Maybe not, but you do have to go back to work," said his mother, as she appeared in the doorway to his bedroom "…your hair seems to have faded quite nicely."

"Yeah, well, two showers a day for an entire week will do that," Troy replied, as he opened his eyes and sat up in bed. "But that week off was sooo nice…"

"I'll bet it was," his mother remarked "…seeing as how you took Sharpay to the arcade, you took her to a carnival and got her to eat cotton candy, you taught her how to skateboard, in our driveway – "

" – Yeah, I'll help you replant those flowers she fell on, I promise," Troy added.

Mrs. Bolton smiled.

"I know you will," she said. "You also still have to serve your punishment for when you two stayed out all night during that rainstorm…boy, once Sharpay leaves, it looks like you'll be doin' some hard time!"

Troy's face fell a little at her last comment, which did not go unnoticed by his mom, whose face softened.

"…You really care about Sharpay, don't you?" she asked.

Troy threw the bed comforter off of himself and got out of bed.

"…She's just a friend, mom," he told her, "and I just want her to have a good summer before she has to leave, that's all."

"But you'll miss her when she leaves, won't you?" his mother asked.

"She's just a friend, mom…!" Troy repeated.

"I know, I heard that part!" his mother told him.

"Good!" Troy exclaimed, getting frustrated.

"But as her friend, you'll miss her, won't you…?" Mrs. Bolton pointed out.

"Yes…!" Troy exclaimed, exasperated. "She is my friend, and since I am HER friend, I will miss her!"

"That's the answer I was looking for…!"

"OK, then!"

"OK…now go take a shower, you don't wanna show up to work already sweaty and gross," his mother instructed.

"That's what I'm tryin' to do!" Troy told her.

"Well, what's stopping you?" his mom asked.

"You, you're blocking the doorway!" he told her.

"Oh, right…" his mother remarked, realizing that she was, in fact, blocking her son's way out. So she turned sideways and gestured for him to go past. "Your breakfast will be ready for ya when you get outta the shower. Oh, I almost forgot, what do you want with your eggs…?"

"Uh…bacon!" Troy replied, just before he went into the bathroom.

* * *

An hour later, Troy walked into the Lava Springs country club. 

As he walked toward the kitchen, he spotted Fulton walking toward him.

Not wanting a confrontation with his boss this early in the morning, Troy lowered his head and stared at the floor as he walked down the hall, trying to avoid eye contact.

…But it was a hopeless effort, because Fulton had already noticed him.

"Bolton!" he called out, as Troy passed him.

With a wince, Troy stopped and turned around to face his boss.

"It's nice to see that you've…recovered," Fulton remarked, glancing at Troy's brown hair.

Troy gave him a nervous smile and nodded.

"Uh, yes sir," he replied "…it turns out that two showers a day is pretty good for some quick results!"

"Well that's…good to hear," Fulton replied. "Anyway, you'll be wearing the white uniform today, Bolton, so go punch in and change."

"I'm caddying today, sir…?" Troy asked, "I thought you said, on the phone, that I would be working in the kitchen, doing dish duty…?"

"Well, as it turns out, Bolton, there's been a request for you out on the golf course," Fulton told him.

"By who…?" Troy asked.

* * *

Troy hurried into the kitchen and immediately spotted Chad, who was standing over at the counter with Zeke, laughing about something. 

Troy rushed over to Chad and grabbed his shoulder from behind, turning him around.

"Whoa, hey man, ya scared me…!" Chad exclaimed, surprised.

"Please tell me you're caddying with me today!" Troy begged.

"Uh, no, I'm in here doing dish duty," his friend told him "…and I thought you were, too…?"

Troy shook his head, keeping his panicked eyes on Chad.

"There's been a request for me out on the golf course," he told him.

"By who…?" Chad asked.

"Mr. Evans."

Chad suddenly understood why his friend looked so panicked.

"Oh…" he said, "well, so…? Mr. Evans likes you, remember? This could be a…good thing!"

"Chad, last week I was the only witness when his daughter highlighted her hair hot pink…what are the _possible_ chances that this could be a good thing?" Troy asked.

"You still haven't shown me that tattoo, by the way…"

_"Chad...!"_

" – well, ya haven't!"

"Hey, can I see it…?" Zeke asked.

Troy rolled his eyes.

"If I show it to you, can we please get back to the matter at hand…and that matter being that Mr. Evans is probably planning on killing me with his nine – iron?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, sure," Chad and Zeke both replied.

Troy sighed, and rolled up his left t – shirt cuff, displaying the black outline of a roaring lion's head that was tattooed on his bicep.

"Nice…!" Chad and Zeke exclaimed.

"It's kinda cracking since I've been having two showers a day for the past week, but it's still there," said Troy.

"Hey, Zeke…!" Martha called, from the other end of the kitchen "…can ya come here for a sec? I think I got something wrong with the spaghetti sauce!"

Zeke sighed and glanced at Chad and Troy.

"Duty calls," he said, then headed over to Martha.

Once Zeke left, Chad turned back to Troy.

"So, what am I gonna do?" Troy asked.

"…What about Sharpay's tattoo?" Chad asked, smirking.

_"Chad...!"_

"C'mon, man! I'm just curious…!"

Troy groaned.

"She got a…flower," he told him, "but Chad – "

"Where'd she get it?" Chad asked.

Troy glared at him.

"…At the drugstore, the same place I got mine. Now, Chad – "

"I meant where on her _body_…?" Chad asked. "C'mon, arm, foot, shoulder blade, maybe…?"

" …It's on her hip, OK?" Troy snapped. "It's a flower, and it's on her hip! Now, will you please tell me what I'm gonna do about Mr. Evans…?"

"Just…hope for the best, man," Chad told him. "Oh, and just remember, if he does decide to take a swing at you, you'll be standing next to a whole bag of golf clubs that can back you up."

Troy groaned.

"Thanks for the advice, man," he said, and headed for the back of the kitchen, to punch in his time card.

"Hey, Bolton…!" Chad called after him.

With a sigh, Troy turned around.

"What?" he asked.

"…The tattoo was on her hip, you said…?" Chad asked.

"Yeah, it was on her hip," Troy answered.

Chad smirked.

"Did ya have to help her put it on…?" he asked.

Troy glared at him, turned back around, and continued to head to the back of the kitchen.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Troy was hurrying out to join Mr. Evans at the first hole on the golf course. 

…Well, he was going as fast as a person can go when they're carrying a golf bag full of golf clubs.

"Mr. Evans…!" he greeted, as he reached Sharpay's father. He then spotted Jason, who was apparently caddying for the man who was accompanying Mr. Evans', and nodded in his direction.

Jason gave a little wave in reply.

"Troy, it's good to see you, son…!" Mr. Evans greeted, smiling at Troy.

_Oh God, he wants to kill me..._Troy thought, but covered up his fear with a smile.

"I'm sorry that I'm late, sir, I wasn't aware that I was gonna be caddying today until I ran into Mr. Fulton when I came in – " Troy began, trying to apologize.

" – Oh, don't worry about it, son," Mr. Evans quickly cut him off, "it was a last – minute request, so really, I'm the one to blame. This doesn't…mess up any plans for you, today, does it?"

"Oh, not at all, sir!" Troy was quick to answer.

"That's good…" said Mr. Evans, then he turned to observe the first hole."Well, since it's only the first hole, I think I should be OK with the five – iron…that sound right to you, Troy?" **A/N** – _My brother knows way more about golf than I do…I'm pretty clueless about the sport. So all these club choices are just total shots in the dark for me.)_

"Uh, yes sir, that sounds like a great choice," Troy replied, casting a nervous glance over at Jason, who knew that Troy and Sharpay had been spending the past few weeks together.

Jason just shot him a sympathetic look as he selected a club for Mr. Evans' companion.

"So, Troy…" Mr. Evans began, as he lined up his shot "…I understand you've been spending a lot of time with Sharpay, lately."

Troy's eyes widened, but then Mr. Evans turned to look at him, so his face quickly changed into a calm expression.

"Uh, not much…we've just been hangin' out a bit," Troy told him, his nervousness growing.

"…And dyeing each other's hair, I saw," Mr. Evans added, taking a swing at the golf ball, and watching it as it flew across the green.

"Uh, well…" Troy stuttered.

He then caught Jason giving him look that was a mixture of curiosity, and near – laughter…obviously he hadn't heard about that part of Troy and Sharpay's activities.

Troy just glared at him.

" – It's perfectly alright, Troy," Mr. Evans told him. "I mean, her mother wasn't too crazy about Sharpay's hot pink highlights, but they've washed out, so, no harm done."

"…Yeah, but I bet no one took pictures of Sharpay for their private collection," Troy mumbled, as they waited for Mr. Evans' companion to take his shot.

"What was that…?" Mr. Evans asked, as his friend took a swing at his golf ball.

" – Uh, nothing, sir," Troy replied.

"So, Sharpay seems to be taking her time with you, doesn't she…?" Mr. Evans asked.

"…Beg your pardon, sir?" Troy asked.

"Well, it's been a few weeks, Sharpay usually doesn't wait this long before she brings her boyfriends home for dinner," Mr. Evans told him.

Troy's eyes widened.

"Oh no…!" he exclaimed "…no sir, it's not like that with us…that is, we're not…actually…dating, we're just friends."

"Ah, I see…" said Mr. Evans "but you two must be very good friends by now, what with all the time you've been spending together, this summer."

Troy took a deep breath, looked the older man in the eye, and decided to tell him the truth.

"I just…want her to have a good summer," he said "…she deserves it."

Mr. Evans nodded.

"She does, indeed," he agreed.

Troy nodded, and they all seemed to pause for a moment, before Mr. Evans spoke up again.

"…Alright then, what do you say we follow the balls, then…?" he suggested, to the three others.

Troy stared at him, speechless.

"…The golf balls," Mr. Evans added.

"Oh…of course!...Right, the golf balls…!" Troy exclaimed. "Yeah, let's…let's follow the golf balls!"

Mr. Evans gave Troy a curious look, then turned and walked further into the golf course with his golfing partner.

When the older men walked away, Troy let out a breath, and Jason walked over to stand beside him.

"You OK, man…?" he asked.

Troy glanced over at Jason.

"Just do me a favor…" he said.

"Sure," Jason agreed.

"…Try not to leave me alone with him, while he's still holding a golf club," Troy requested.

Jason smiled and nodded.

"…You coming, boys?" Mr. Evans called, from a few feet in front of them.

"Oh, yes sir…!" Troy replied, and the two boys went to catch up with the two older men.

* * *

Two hours later, Sharpay awoke to the sound of her cell phone ringing. 

"…I really need to shut that thing off, once in a while," she grumbled, as she kept her eyes closed and felt around her night stand for her pink cell phone.

When her hand finally touched the cell phone, she grabbed it, and flipped it open as she opened her eyes.

"…Hello?"

"…Sharpay!" Taylor exclaimed, on the other end "…did you just wake up?"

Sharpay looked over at her digital clock.

"…Well, it's ten a.m., in July, so…yeah," Sharpay replied, sitting up in bed.

"Well, you've got thirty minutes to get ready before Gabriella and I reach your house, so ya better get outta bed now," Taylor told her.

Sharpay frowned in confusion.

"You're coming over to my house…?" she asked. "Why are you coming over to my house?...Did we have plans?"

"You may not have, but I definitely have something in mind," Taylor told her. "Thirty minutes, Sharpay…now get crackin'!"

With that, Taylor hung up the phone, and Sharpay frowned again, holding the phone in front of her, still confused.

"…Aye aye, captain," she muttered, then groaned and got out of bed.

Turning on her stereo, she tuned it to her favorite radio station.

_'…Get you where you wanna go if you know what I mean  
Got a ride that's smoother than a limousine  
Can you handle the curves? Can you run all the lights?  
If you can baby boy then we can go all night_

_Goes from 0 to 60 in three point five  
Baby you got the keys  
Now shut up and drive  
(Drive, drive, drive)  
Shut up and drive  
(Drive, drive, drive)…'_

Seeming satisfied, Sharpay bobbed her head a little to the music as she opened her closet doors and began to look through her options of what she would wear for Taylor's little surprise.

When Taylor pulled up in Sharpay's driveway, Sharpay was already sitting on the front step, wearing a green halter top and blue jean capris.

"So, what's this surprise…?" Sharpay asked, as Taylor and Gabriella got out of the car and walked over to her.

"I wish I knew," Gabriella confessed "…Taylor wouldn't even give me a clue as to what she's got planned."

Now Sharpay was really confused.

"Wait, you don't even know…?" she asked Gabriella.

Gabriella shook her head, so Sharpay glanced over at Taylor.

"…Taylor, what's goin' on?" she asked.

Taylor smiled.

"It's simple, really…" she said, and tossed Sharpay her car keys.

Sharpay caught them, and stared down at the keys, still confused.

"Why are you giving me your car keys?" she asked.

"Because you Sharpay Evans, are going to drive my car," Taylor told her.

Sharpay's eyes widened.

"Uh – uh…" she mumbled.

"Yep," Taylor replied "…you're going to drive one way, and Gabriella is going to drive back."

It was Gabriella's turn for her eyes to widen.

"What? Taylor, no…!" she whined. "You know that I can't – "

" I know that you _can_," Taylor told her, "you just won't. But y'know what…? Starting today, that's gonna change…for the _both_ of you."

"Taylor - !" Both girls started to whine, but Taylor raised her hand and silenced then.

"I don't wanna hear it…!" she said. "Now, Evans, get your ass in that driver's seat!"

"But Taylor - !"

_" – Now!"_

So, with a pout, and a glare directed at Taylor, Sharpay got up and walked over to the driver's side of Taylor's car.

Pushing Gabriella to the passenger's side, Taylor opened her door and gave her a shove, prompting her to get in. With a sigh, Gabriella complied, and when she was in the car, Taylor walked to the back door of the car, and looked over at Sharpay, who was still standing in front of her door, keys in hand.

_"Shar…!"_ exclaimed a voice, and she also heard a finger snap, that seemed to be coming from right beside her.

"Shar…!" Taylor snapped.

With a jolt, Sharpay glared over at Taylor.

"OK, OK…!" she grumbled, opening her door "…everybody just stop yelling at me!"

Taylor frowned in confusion, then shrugged and got into the backseat.

Sharpay still looked uneasy as she buckled her seatbelt, she then glanced over at Gabriella, who was already buckled in, and was wearing the same uneasy expression.

"Put the keys in the ignition, Sharpay," Taylor reminded her.

"Oh, right…" Sharpay replied, putting the key into the ignition, and turned it, bringing the engine to life.

But just as she placed her hands on the steering wheel, her cell phone rang from where she had it clipped onto the front pocket of her capris.

"Ah…saved by the bell…!" Sharpay muttered, smiling as she unclipped her phone from her pocket.

Gabriella smiled, too.

But Taylor didn't.

"Turn it off, Shar…!" she ordered, sternly.

"But it could be an important call, Taylor!" Sharpay pointed out "…like, an emergency, or something!"

"She's right, Taylor," Gabriella added.

Taylor rolled her eyes.

"Alright, fine," she said, "you get _one_ phone call!"

"…Most prisoners do," Sharpay mumbled.

Gabriella giggled.

"…What was that?" Taylor asked.

"Shh, Taylor! I'm on the phone!" Sharpay told her, putting the phone to her ear.

"…Hello?"

_"Help me!"_

Sharpay's eyes widened.

"Troy…?"

"Oh boy…" Taylor muttered, leaning back in her seat.

"Please, God, help me…!" Troy exclaimed, in a low whisper.

"Why are you whispering?" Sharpay asked.

"Because I'm on the golf course with your father, seeing as how he _requested _that I caddy for him, and he's only about ten feet away, chatting it up with his golfing buddy!" Troy explained, turning away from the older men, as Jason blocked their view of him.

"Well, what's the problem with that…?" Sharpay asked. "Daddy likes you, remember?"

"Yeah, but Sharpay, he keeps asking me…questions," Troy told her.

"What kind of questions?" Sharpay asked.

"Well, at first he wanted to know why you hadn't brought me home to have dinner with you and him and your mom, yet…!" Troy began.

"…Uh oh," Sharpay squeaked.

"Yeah," Troy replied. "And even though I told him that we were just friends, he still seems to think that we're dating, but that we're just trying to keep it from him and your mother…!"

"…Uh oh," Sharpay repeated.

"Exactly…!" Troy excalimed, in a harsh whisper. "Sharpay, he's givin' me the third degree about being your boyfriend, when I'm not even your boyfriend!...So, please, _help me!"_

"I'm on my way," Sharpay told him, then snapped her phone shut and handed it to Gabriella.

"Hold that," she instructed "…in case he calls again."

"Sharpay, what's goin' on?" Taylor asked.

"Well, Troy's always tryin' to be my hero…" said Sharpay, as she did a shoulder – check, and backed out of the drive way "…and now it's my turn to be his, so I hope you're buckled in tight, girls."

Gabriella and Taylor glanced at each other, then tightened their seatbelts as Sharpay got out of the driveway and sped down the street.

* * *

A half hour later, Troy, Jason, Mr. Evans and Mr. Evans' golfing partner were still out on the golf course, when a pink golf cart sped over to them and screeched to a halt right in front of them. 

The two young caddies and two older men watched in awe as Sharpay and Chad both scrambled out of the golf cart.

"Hi, Daddy!" Sharpay exclaimed, as she walked over to them, while Chad just stood by the golf cart.

"Oh, hello, Princess…!" Vance Evans greeted his daughter, smiling. "I didn't know that you planned on playing today!"

"Oh, well actually, I'm not," Sharpay told him, then glanced over at Troy, "I just came to tell Troy that his mother wants him to come home right away, there's some kind of big family emergency happening, apparently."

"Oh…!" Troy and Mr. Evans both exclaimed, but for different reasons.

"Oh, well, that's too bad…!" Mr. Evans told Troy.

"Yes, it is!" Troy added "…but, if my mother says it's an emergency, then it must be a pretty big emergency cuz she doesn't usually want me to come home from work just for something small, so…"

"…Oh, yes, by all mean, go!" Mr. Evans told him.

"Uh, Chad will gladly caddy for you, in Troy's place, Daddy!" Sharpay told her father, gesturing to Chad.

"Oh, I'd be happy to, sir!" Chad told him, and took the bag of clubs from Troy.

Troy winked at him as he handed the bag over, then he headed for the golf cart.

So Sharpay and Troy quickly got into Sharpay's golf cart, and waved at the group as they sped away.

When Sharpay parked her golf cart near the patio, she and Troy got out again, and Troy immediately hugged her.

"Thank you…!" he exclaimed. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you…!"

"It's OK," Sharpay told him, hugging him back, then they let go of each other and Sharpay smiled at him.

"I completely understand your distress," she told him. "Daddy's usually OK around guys I hang out with, until he starts to suspect that we're dating, or something., then he gets all…"

"…Dad – like," Troy finished for her.

Sharpay smiled at him.

"Yeah, pretty much," she said "…Oh! I gave Fulton that family emergency excuse for you, too, so you're actually free for the rest of the day. You want a ride with me…? Gabriella and Taylor are just waiting in the car."

"No, that's OK, I brought my tru – " Troy started to explain, but then he stopped "…wait, did Taylor drive you over here?"

"Oh, no actually, I drove over here in her car," Sharpay explained. "It's a funny story, actu – "

But then, she stopped, and realized what she had said…Troy did, too.

"I drove here…" she muttered, then looked at Troy and laughed "…I drove over here!"

"You drove!" he exclaimed.

"I did, I drove…!" she replied, and hugged him "…I _drove_, Troy! I _drove_…!"

Troy laughed, and swung her around.

"Ok, so in honor of this momentous occasion, you finally driving again, _and_ saving my butt, I have a special question for you," he said "…I do owe you, anyway."

Sharpay smiled, but her smile quickly turned to a look of confusion as Troy got down on one knee, in front of her.

"Sharpay Evans…" Troy began, as he looked up into her eyes "…will you sing in the talent show with me?"

Sharpay grinned.

"Yes, Troy, I will," she replied.

Troy smiled and stood up, then he grabbed her and swung her around again, making her laugh out loud.

…What they didn't notice was that Sharpay's father had been watching them from the golf course, and his curiosity concerning his daughter and Troy Bolton was definitely growing now.

* * *

_The song stanza was from "Shut Up And Drive" by Rihanna._

_Happy Halloween, y'all!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	11. Week Four: You Are The Music In Me

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own the High School Musical franchise…but I WILL get those shoes, oh yes, I will get those shoes……_

_Author's Notes: So here it is, week four…the big finale!...Will Sharpay be able to say goodbye to Troy forever?…Will Troy be able to tell Sharpay how he feels? How DOES he feel?...WELL, YA HAVE TO READ IT TO FIND OUT!!!_

_…And since this is Week Four, it'll be lot longer than any of the other chapters (a LOT longer…! Sorry if you're not into the extra – lengthy kinds of chapters), because instead of writing about just one day of the week, I'm gonna be featuring a few._

_And as you read this chapter, you'll probably be thinking, "Well, why didn't she name the chapter after this song?...Or this song?" …I have my reasons._

_LET THE FINAL WEEK BEGIN!!!!!!!_

**Chapter 11 - Week Four (You Are The Music In Me)**

The following Monday, Troy was giving Chad a ride to work.

"Hey, thanks for drivin' me to work, man," said Chad.

"Hey, no problem, man…" Troy muttered, his mind seeming to be somewhere else.

"My dad gets back from his business trip in Arizona on Wednesday, so I'll be able to use the car again," Chad told him, "then you won't have to drive me around anymore."

"Sounds good…" Troy mumbled, his eyes on the road, but his mind still somewhere else.

"…Oh, and by the way, I dyed my hair just like you did," Chad lied, as he gazed at Troy, observing his blank expression "…turns out that the clown wig – look really is a good look for me."

"…That's nice."

"…By the way, your fly's undone."

"Uh huh…"

"...Aliens are beaming your truck up to their spaceship, you know that right?"

"Yeah…"

"TROY!"

Suddenly, Troy snapped out of his daze.

"What?" he asked, glancing over at Chad.

Chad smirked and shook his head.

"…Never mind," he said "…it's hopeless trying to talk to you when your mind's obviously somewhere else."

Troy groaned. "I'm sorry, man…"

"…Or, on _someone_ else," Chad added.

Troy gave him a puzzled expression.

"Meaning…?" he asked.

Chad chuckled.

"_Meaning_ that you're starting to miss Sharpay, and she's not even gone yet," he told him.

"_Meaning_…?" Troy repeated, his voice getting edgy.

"It means that you don't want her to go!" Chad told him "…just admit it! Admit that you're head – over – Nikes for her and that you don't want her to go!"

"I am _not_ 'head - over – Nikes' for anyone…!" Troy argued, getting defensive "Sharpay is a _friend_, and I don't know why I have to keep explaining that to you people!"

"I know, I know, you've just been trying to help her have a good summer…" said Chad "…but can you honestly tell me that you, yourself, haven't been getting anything out of this deal you have with Sharpay?"

"Y'know what…? We're gonna listen to the radio now, OK?" Troy told him, as he turned the radio on.

Chad grinned as he turned to look out the passenger – side window. "Denial…"

" – Shut up!" Troy snapped, as he finally found a good radio station for them to listen to.

"…And now, here's one goin' out to everybody who's having a blast, just hangin' out with their friends this summer…" said the DJ "…this one's called 'Friend' by Kaitlyn."

'…_I like to be around you  
when you're not tryin' to be somebody  
and I like to hang with you  
talk about whatever we talk about_

_I don't care where we go  
what we do  
who you know  
what you wear  
or if your hair is blue or purple or pink_…'

Chad laughed.

"…Well, even if you two aren't a couple, I think we found your song…!" he exclaimed.

"Shut up again…!" Troy ordered.

'_…You don't have to be cool  
don't have to be smart  
don't need to know anything all the time  
it's alright if you're a little bit out of it  
I don't care_

_I just wanna be your friend…_'

* * *

'…_I like to go to the mall  
and walk around with you laughin' out loud  
and you like to go up to people  
and tell them your cousin is somebody famous_

_don't care who we see  
what they say  
you and me we'll be ok  
if we don't get caught by security_...'

As she listened to the song that was playing on her stereo, Sharpay smiled, and fell backward onto her bed.

"Well, that's interesting…" she mumbled.

"…What's interesting?" a voice asked.

Startled, Sharpay sat up, and saw Taylor and Gabriella standing in the doorway to her bedroom.

"Uh…nothing," Sharpay stuttered "…it's just, the song…I like the song."

Taylor listened to the song for a moment, then smiled.

"I'm not surprised," she said, "after all, it describes you and Troy almost perfectly."

"Shut up, it does not!" Sharpay argued.

"You seem kinda flustered, Sharpay…" Taylor observed, with a smirk "…everything OK?"

"…Shut up again! I'm not flustered!" Sharpay insisted.

"You're blushing, Sharpay," Gabriella told her, smiling.

Sharpay glared at her two friends.

"…Aren't you two supposed to be working today?" she asked.

"Not until this afternoon…nice way of changing the subject, by the way," said Taylor, as she sat down at the foot of the bed.

"You guys, me and Troy are just friends, I won't say it again!" Sharpay told them "…and that's all we'll ever be, since I'm leaving for Colorado at the end of the week."

"Right," said Taylor "… about that…don't go."

"What?" Sharpay asked, confused.

"…Sharpay, it may seem odd to you sometimes, but we _are_ your friends," Gabriella told her "…and, well…we'll miss you if you leave…again."

Sharpay smiled at the two of them, and put her hand to her heart.

"…And you don't know how much that means to me," she said.

They all laughed.

"But no, seriously…don't go," Taylor told her.

"Taylor…"

"We're all heading to college in the fall," Taylor reminded her, "and if you leave, who's gonna help me pick out the perfect outfit for the first day of classes?"

Sharpay gave her a look and gestured to Gabriella.

"Uh, Gabriella…?" she pointed out.

"But even I'm not completely sure of what shoes go with what purse!" Gabriella told her "…but it's common knowledge that you are!"

Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she said, "before I leave, I'll make you a list of what shoes go with what purse, and what hair band goes with what belt, OK?"

"I thought you didn't even wanna go, now you're dead – set on leaving?" Taylor asked.

Sharpay shrugged.

"I couldn't stop my father from moving us to Baltimore, what makes you think I can stop him from moving us to Colorado?" she asked.

Taylor and Gabriella shared a glance, then looked back at Sharpay.

"…What?" Sharpay asked.

"Because now you've got something that you want to stay for," Gabriella told her.

Sharpay said nothing, she just looked down at her comforter and pulled at a loose thread.

* * *

Later that afternoon, when Troy was just getting off work, Sharpay met up with him at the country club to rehearse their number for the talent show. 

She arrived early, so when she came to find him, he was still in the kitchen, washing dishes.

Sharpay spotted Troy immediately, he was over at the sink, talking and laughing with Chad as they washed dishes, but his back was to her, so even if she had seen him, he still hadn't noticed her.

She smirked and walked over to the two boys, who were laughing at some joke that Jason had told them earlier.

"Y'know…" she said, coming up behind Troy, and making him jump "…if Fulton sees you dawdling like this, he's not gonna be very happy."

Chad and Troy both stared at her in surprise.

"…We're not dawdling," Chad told her, recovering quickly "…we're just…helping to create a friendlier working environment."

Sharpay smirked, and nodded.

"Whatever you say…" she said.

"Miss Evans! You're not supposed to be back here!" a voice exclaimed, from behind Sharpay.

Surprised, she turned around.

"And you two…!" Fulton continued, pointing at Troy and Chad "…you're supposed to be working, not dawdling!"

Sharpay's eyes narrowed.

"First of all, this club is owned by my family, so I may go where I choose," she told Fulton, "second of all, I came to see Troy because we're going to rehearse our number for the talent show once his shift is over, so these two weren't dawdling, they were just saying hello…OK?"

Fulton looked uneasy, which was a familiar look of his in front of Sharpay.

"…Very well, Miss Evans," he said "…but these boys still don't get off work for another fifteen minutes, so if you do have plans with Mr. Bolton, you're going to have to wait."

"Fine," said Sharpay, "I have something else to do before then, anyway."

She then turned to Troy and gave him a little smile.

"I'll meet you in the music room…?" she suggested.

Troy nodded.

"Sure," he said.

With a smile and nod at Troy, and an icy glare in Fulton's direction, Sharpay continued to walk through the kitchen, and headed to the music room.

When she got there, she saw Kelsi sitting at the piano, practicing a part from Troy and Sharpay's song.

When Kelsi looked up and saw Sharpay, she smiled.

"Hey," she greeted, "you're early."

"Yeah, well, I actually wanted to ask you something, without Troy here," Sharpay told her.

Kelsi's brow furrowed in confusion.

"What do you need?" she asked.

Sharpay took some sheet music from her purse and handed it to her.

"Have you ever played this before?" she asked.

Kelsi smirked.

"Oh yeah…" she said.

"Do you think you and I could practice it, after Troy and I rehearse today?" Sharpay asked.

Kelsi nodded. "Sure," she said, then she glanced at Sharpay.

"Are you planning on doing this for the talent show, too?" she asked her.

Sharpay nodded.

"Yeah," she said.

"And does, uh…does Troy know you're gonna do this song?" Kelsi asked.

"No," Sharpay answered, "and I don't want him to, either…actually, I don't want _anyone_ to know, OK?"

Kelsi nodded.

"Gotcha," she said.

* * *

About half an hour later, Fulton was walking through the dining room, when he spotted Mr. Evans. 

Not wanting a confrontation with his boss, Fulton quickly turned around and started to head out of the room.

"…Fulton!" Vance Evans called out "…hold on just a second!"

Wincing, Fulton turned around and plastered a smile on his face, as the other man walked over to him.

"Yes, sir?" he asked, as Mr. Evans reached him.

"Would you happen to know where my daughter is?" Vance asked, "I just called my wife at home, as she was on her way out to her baking club, and she said that she wasn't home."

"Uh, yes sir," Fulton replied, nervously "…she's rehearsing with Troy Bolton, for their song they're performing at the talent show."

"Oh, that's right…" Mr. Evans muttered, "Sharpay mentioned this morning that they would be rehearsing again today. But they've been rehearsing quite a lot over the past week, haven't they?"

"Uh, well, I don't know what you would qualify as 'a lot', sir," Fulton told him. "She's been meeting him here almost every day, after his shift ends, so that they can practice…I don't say 'every day' because Mr. Bolton doesn't work seven days a week, last week he only worked about four."

"Yes, and those other three days, they apparently met over at their accompanist's house," Mr. Evans muttered.

"…Something wrong, sir?" Fulton asked.

"Fulton, what do you think is going on between Troy Bolton and my daughter?" Mr. Evans asked.

"Oh, well…uh, they seem to be…friendlier with each other than they were last summer," Fulton replied, growing more nervous by the second.

"Yes…" Vance mumbled "...they do, don't they?"

* * *

The next morning, Sharpay came into the large kitchen, where her parents were already sitting down at the table, her mother was eating grapefruit and her father was sipping coffee as he read the morning paper. 

Grabbing a muffin and pouring herself some orange juice, Sharpay stayed at the counter as she gulped down her juice, not moving to sit at the breakfast table with her parents, which her parents both noticed, then she set her glass down in the sink and went to leave the room, muffin in hand.

Jessica Evans glanced at her husband, who glanced back at her for a mere second before continuing to read the paper.

"Sharpay…!" she called after her daughter.

Sharpay stopped in the doorway and spun around.

"What?" she asked, in a bored tone.

"Why don't you come eat breakfast with your father and I?" her mother suggested. "It's been so long since we had a conversation with you – "

" – That's because the last time we had a conversation, you revealed your diabolical plan to take me away from my home…_again_, and move us all out to Colorado. Oh…" she then glanced over at her father "...and just so I know, _daddy_, where are we gonna move to after that?...And when, cuz y'know, I'll need to write it in my day - planner – "

"That is enough," said her father, in a hard tone, glaring at his daughter.

" – No, actually," Sharpay replied, "it was enough five weeks ago, when my brother and my best friend died at the same time…now, it's just shit."

"…SHARPAY!" her mother exclaimed, shocked at her daughter's attitude.

"I gotta go," said Sharpay, "I'm going shoe shopping with a friend of mine….I'll probably be gone for most of the day, if you're really anxious to keep tabs on me.'

"And then you'll be rehearsing with Troy at the country club, right?" her father asked, keeping his eyes on her.

Sharpay smirked.

"Boy," she said, "I guess you really are anxious to keep tabs on me."

With that, she turned around and left.

When she left, Vance went back to reading his paper, but his annoyance with Sharpay was still obvious to his wife.

"…She spends every waking minute with Troy Bolton knowing full – well that she's gonna be even more heartbroken when we leave…I never knew that she could be so stupid," Vance muttered, as he tried to read the Stocks section.

"She's just trying to make the most out of the time she has left here, Vance," his wife told him, "and I'm not surprised, what with our moving again so soon, and Ryan being gone – "

Vance stood up, suddenly, from the table.

"I have to get to the office," he said, and started to walk out of the kitchen.

" – Vance!" Jessica called after him.

Vance stopped and turned to look at his wife.

"…She's just started to feel like she has a place in the world," she said, "who's with her in that place shouldn't matter."

Vance just turned and left, much in the same fashion as his daughter.

"She's just trying to be happy, Vance…!" Jessica called after him.

All she heard in reply was the slam of the front door as it shut.

"…We all are," she mumbled.

* * *

At the mall, Sharpay was sitting on a bench outside Tropical Splash…the same store she and Troy had been in, three weeks before. 

"Hey, Evans…!" Chad greeted, as he walked over to her.

When she spotted Chad, Sharpay waved.

When Chad reached the bench, he sat down next to her.

"Wow," he said, "if somebody had told me, six months ago, that I would be going shoe – shopping with Sharpay Evans, I probably would've laughed…really hard…and for a _really_ long time!"

"Oh, and you don't think that the same goes for me?" Sharpay asked, smirking.

Chad rolled his eyes.

"Sharpay, why did you ask me to go shoe – shopping with you anyway?" he asked.

"Because I heard you telling Troy, a few days ago, that you needed some new basketball shoes," she answered "…and I'll take any excuse to buy a new pair of shoes."

"_A_ new pair of shoes…?" Chad asked, suspicious.

Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"OK…four," she said.

Chad rolled his eyes.

"Now if only I'd told Troy about this, he probably could've given me some pointers…" Chad muttered.

"Wait…Troy doesn't know you're shopping with me today?" Sharpay asked.

Chad shrugged.

"I didn't think he'd have believed me if I told him," Chad admitted.

Sharpay chuckled.

"Good call," she said.

"I thought so," Chad replied, then he stood up.

"C'mon, let's go buy some shoes," he said.

Sharpay nodded, and stood up, too.

As they walked towards the escalator, Sharpay couldn't help but noticing that Chad kept glancing in her direction.

She finally stopped and turned to look at him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"What?" Chad asked.

"You keep looking at me," she said.

"Well…honestly, I'm just waiting for your explanation," he confessed, and continued toward the escalator.

So Sharpay followed.

"What explanation?" she asked.

As they stepped onto the escalator, Chad rolled smirked and rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, Sharpay…" he prodded "…this little outing isn't just about shoe – shopping…if it was, you'd be here with Taylor and Gabriella, not me."

Sharpay sighed and looked down at her feet for a moment, then looked back up at Chad.

"OK, fine," she said. "I asked you to come with me because I wanted to…that is, I need you to…"

Chad stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Yeees…?" he said, urging her to continue. "You need me to do what…?"

Just then, they came to the top of the escalator, so they had to step off.

Sharpay stepped off the escalator and turned to face Chad, directly.

"I meed you to take care of Troy," she told him "…after I leave, I need you to take care of him, and just make sure…that he stays happy."

Sharpay then noticed that Chad's expression turned into one of…understanding.

Chad nodded and smiled.

"Of course I will," he told her. "I always have, always will."

Sharpay smiled.

"Good," she said. "OK, time to shop for shoes."

Then she grabbed his wrist.

"My shoes first…!" she exclaimed.

Chad mouth fell open and he protested like he was begging for his life, but Sharpay just ignored his whining and pulled him along with her.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Troy was in the kitchen of the Lava Springs Country Club, loading up plates of food onto a tray, to take out to some "famished" club members, when he spotted Chad coming into the kitchen. 

"Hey, man…!" Troy greeted his friend, as Chad approached him.

"Hey…!" Chad returned, "ya workin' hard?"

"Gotta earn that paycheck, right?" Troy replied, smirking.

Chad grinned.

"Alright," he said, "I'll just change into my uniform and I'll be right out there with ya."

"Sounds good," said Troy, then, as Chad started to walk past him, a thought occurred to Troy.

"Hey…where were you this morning?" he asked.

Chad stopped, and turned to face his friend.

"You wouldn't believe me," he said.

"Try me," Troy replied.

"…I was shoe – shopping with Sharpay."

Troy stared at Chad for a moment, then finally opened his mouth to speak.

"You're right," he said "…I don't believe you."

Chad just grinned, turned around, and continued to walk to the staff locker room.

* * *

A few hours later, when Troy's shift was over, he was outside, practicing foul shots on the staff basketball court. 

Since his eyes were on the basket, Troy didn't notice someone opening the gate and leaning against it to watch him.

"…That's some impressive skill, Troy!" Mr. Evans called out.

Troy dropped the basketball and nearly jumped five feet in the air, before he recovered quickly, and turned to face the older man.

"Mr. Evans…!" he exclaimed "I didn't see you there!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Vance, "I didn't scare you, did I?"

_No, but you scared me last week when you grilled me about my intentions with your daughter..._

"…Of course not!" Troy told him, "it's just that I tend to tune everything else out when I'm playing basketball, so…"

"Ah, that's perfectly understandable," Mr. Evans told him, as he walked toward Troy "…it just proves how focused you are."

Troy didn't know how to respond, so he simply smiled and nodded.

"…Speaking of being focused…" Mr. Evans continued, as if he just pulled the thought out of the air "…you still have the same plans for your future? ...Playing for the University of Albuquerque, and what not?"

"Uh, yes sir," Troy replied.

"That's good," said Mr. Evans "…any other plans you have for the future?"

"Uh…well, not really," Troy replied, "I'm just trying to live for right now, rather than plan for something that I really don't have much control over."

Mr. Evans smiled and nodded.

"That's a good method," he said. "It's no wonder my daughter looks up to you, Troy…you're a good influence for her."

Troy wasn't sure what to say to that, so he just said the first thing that came to his mind.

"…Thank you."

With another nod and a smile, Mr. Evans turned and walked back through the gate, leaving Troy alone on the basketball court, once again.

* * *

The next morning found Sharpay wide awake, as the sun rose. 

Getting out of bed, Sharpay trudged out of her room and went out into the hallway.

Once she was in the hallway, she took a deep breath, and walked into the one room that no one in the Evans' house had been in, all summer.

…Ryan's bedroom.

She walked in, sat down at the foot of her brother's bed, and gazed around the room.

…Everything was just the same, except that all of his hats were missing, of course, and everything was…dustier.

Sharpay closed her eyes and let the tears fall down her cheeks.

"What're you cryin' for?" a voice asked, from behind her.

Sharpay turned her head to see her brother, leaning against the wall, arms folded, no hat on his head, watching her.

Wiping the tears away, Sharpay smiled at her brother.

"Oh, like you don't know…" she said, with a watery smile.

Ryan walked over to sit beside her on the bed.

"I don't know everything, Sharpay…" he told her "…it just always seemed like it."

Sharpay smiled, and brushed a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes.

"…We're moving again," she said, "and you're not here to help me deal with it. Plus, I think…I'm in love with Troy Bolton."

"Oh no, you are…" Ryan told her.

Sharpay sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I miss you so much, Ry," she said.

Ryan put his arm around her and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"There's no reason for you to miss me, Shar," he said, "I never left you…and I'm never going to."

Sharpay lifted her head to look into her brother's eyes.

"…Promise?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Ryan replied, "the people who mean the most to you never really leave you Shar…ever."

"…And I don't want to leave them, either," Sharpay muttered.

"I know you don't."

"So then tell me what to do."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?" Sharpay asked "I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"I am," Ryan told her, "that's why I'm letting you figure this out for yourself, because I know that you're smart, too…and you know what you want, and you'll go for it, because it's worth it…that's what you've always done."

"But I also always had you here with me – " Sharpay reminded him.

" – And you still do!" her brother pointed out "…but you can figure this one out for yourself, Shar. You know what you want, now go for it."

Sharpay nodded, then reached over and hugged Ryan, tightly.

Hugging her back, Ryan smiled.

"I'll always be here, Shar…" he whispered in her ear.

Sharpay nodded, and squeezed her yes shut…only to open them a few seconds later, and see that she was lying on top of Ryan's bed…and that she was alone in the room.

* * *

A few days later, it was Friday, and everybody at Lava Springs was busy preparing for the annual talent show that was happening that night. 

Troy and Chad were out in the back, covering the chairs with white and light green paper, and putting green table cloths on the tables.

Just as Troy and Chad were finishing covering the chairs, at their fourth table, with paper, Troy sat down on one of them.

"Uh, dude…we're not supposed to sit on those," Chad reminded him "…now, c'mon, before Fulton sees you - !"

" – I don't want her to go, Chad," said Troy, as he leaned back in the chair, and stared straight ahead, his expression unreadable.

"…What?"

"I'm admitting it, I don't want her to go," Troy told him. "I'm head – over – Nikes for her and I don't want her to go."

Chad smiled and sat down in there chair next to Troy.

"…Well, admitting it is the first step," he said, putting his hand on Troy's shoulder.

"Well, is there any fast way to get through all the other steps before she leaves tomorrow?" Troy asked.

"Sure," Chad replied.

"How…?" Troy asked.

"You tell her," Chad answered.

Troy glanced over at his friend and said nothing, then he got up and walked away.

* * *

That night, as the guests were all being seated, one lady that Gabriella was seating gazed admiringly at the red fedora that she was wearing. 

"That's an interesting hat you're wearing, young lady," she said.

"Oh, thank you…!" Gabriella replied, smiling down at the woman.

"…In fact, all of the waiters tonight seem to be wearing interesting hats," the woman remarked, looking around at all the teenage waiters, who were sporting fedoras and golf hats "…is it some kind of a theme for the talent show?"

"Yes," Gabriella replied.

"Well, what's the theme, dear?" the woman asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Ryan Evans," she replied, then walked away to help show some more people to their tables.

When everyone was finally seated, they saw Fulton and Taylor standing on stage, ready to greet them.

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman!" Fulton greeted, "and welcome to Lava Springs annual summer talent show! You may have noticed that all of our waiters, including Miss Taylor McKessie here…" he gestured to Taylor, who was wearing her light green golf hat "…are wearing some unusual looking hats that don't seem to fit the green and white color scheme that we have, tonight. Well, Miss McKessie is actually going to explain that to you now. Taylor…?"

"Thank you, Mr. Fulton," said Taylor, then she looked out into the audience. "I'm sure you all heard about the tragic accident that occurred at the beginning of this summer, and claimed the life of Ryan Evans, the beloved son of Vance and Jessica Evans, and the devoted brother of Sharpay Evans. Ryan and Sharpay both went to East High School with most of the junior staff, so we've gotten to know them both very well throughout the years. Ryan was a very friendly person, who loved acting in the drama club, and performing in the musicals with his sister, Sharpay. Last summer, we also found out that he had a hidden talent at playing baseball. Other than his talents, the other things that were obvious to all of us about Ryan were that he was a devoted friend, and a loyal brother. We will all miss him greatly, and this year, we at the Lava Springs country club, voted unanimously that this year's talent show would be put on in his honor. The hats that all of the waiters are wearing tonight belonged to Ryan, and the color scheme, green and white, was chosen because green was Ryan's favorite color. So tonight, all of the people you see up here singing and dancing and performing, aren't singing and dancing and performing for your applause, we're singing and dancing and performing, in hopes that Ryan is watching over us tonight, and seeing that we're always going to cherish his memory, and the time he spent with us."

By the end of her speech, most of the audience and serving staff were in tears.

At the back of the dining area, where all of the junior staff were standing, Chad looked to his left, at Gabriella, who was just one of those people with tears in their eyes, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"You OK…?" he asked.

Sniffling, she glanced at him and smiled.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm OK."

Backstage, Sharpay was in her small dressing room area, sitting in her chair, her brother's pink golf hat in her hand.

"You OK…?" Troy asked, coming up behind her, wearing a green dress shirt and white dress pants.

Sharpay looked at him in the mirror and smiled, her eyes misty.

"Yeah, she said, "I'm OK."

"Well, that's good, cuz we're up first," he reminded her.

Sharpay nodded, and got up from her chair, smoothing out the invisible creases in her dress as she did so.

Troy took this time to have a good look at her. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, with a few strands of hair hanging loose to frame her face. She was wearing spaghetti – strapped, V – neck dress that was green with a thin white trim, and white high – heeled, dancing shoes.

She looked beautiful.

When Sharpay finally noticed Troy staring at her, she smirked.

"Everything OK with you…?" she asked.

"Oh…yeah, it's just that uh…I have something that I need to tell you," Troy told her.

Just then they heard Fulton's voice coming from the stage.

"And now, to open our show, please welcome Sharpay Evans and Troy Bolton…!"

"Well, it looks like you're gonna have to tell me later," she told him, then grabbed his hand "…c'mon, let's do it."

Wordlessly, Troy followed her out to the stage, and they took the microphones off their stands and smiled at the audience.

Sharpay then glanced over at Troy, and he glanced back at her.

…She smiled, and he winked.

Sharpay then turned back to the audience and raised the microphone up to her moth.

'…_Five, six, seven eight…!_

_Na, na, na, na,  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, nah, you are the music yeah...  
Na, na, na, na,  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, nah,  
you are the music yeah...  
are the music yeah..._

_You know the words "once upon a time."  
Make you listen, there's a reason.  
When you dream, there's a chance you'll find,  
a little laughter, or happy ever after_…'

From her spot at the piano, Kelsi watched Troy and Sharpay's performance. She could play the song on the piano almost without ever looking down at the keys, thanks to all the practicing that she, Sharpay and Troy had been doing. And she could definitely see the difference between this summer's performance, and last summer's. For instance, there were no big fireworks, no air vents in the stage…and Troy and Sharpay actually looked like they were both having a good time, together. Troy was twirling Sharpay around, and dipping her, and if the two of them hadn't been singing at the time, they probabably would've been laughing their heads off.

…Which is what everyone in the audience was doing, especially when Troy started to hit the high notes.

'…_When I hear my favorite song,  
I know we belong  
cause  
you are the music in me._

_It's living in all of us,  
and it's brought us here because...  
You are the music in,  
me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me,  
Nah, nah, nah, you are the music in me.  
Na, na, na, na,  
Na, na, na, na, na, na, nah, you are the music in ME!  
Yeah, yeah, yeah..._'

...And they laughed even harder when Troy ended the song on such a low note.

'…_oh yeah_….'

When it was over, everyone applauded, some people even gave them a standing ovation.

Sharpay beamed and clasped Troy's hand, then raised their joined hands in the air, and they bowed together.

Troy then gestured to Kelsi, since she was the accompanist, and Kelsi was beaming as well.

Troy then raised Sharpay's hand to his lips and kissed it, right in front of everyone…Sharpay beamed.

After Troy released her hand, Sharpay closed the gap between them and enveloped him in a tight hug.

Sharpay's back was to the audience, but Troy's wasn't, so from his position, he could see Mr. and Mrs. Evans sitting at the table right near the front of the stage, and from what he could see, Mrs. Evans was clapping along with everyone else, but Mr. Evans wasn't, and his facial expression was unreadable.

* * *

And hour and a half later, all of the guests had been fed, and the dessert had just been brought out, and since Troy was done performing…he had nothing to do but watch the rest of the show with Chad, from the back of the dining area. 

At that moment, Fulton came back onto the stage to announce the final act.

"Before we get to our final number…" he began "…I would like to remind the young people in the audience, as well as the junior staff, that after the talent show is over, a large panel will be set in front of the stage, to act as a dance floor. A DJ will also be…performing, on stage, in honor of a new tradition we're starting here at Lava Springs, the post – talent show dance. Parents are also welcome to stick around and dance, as well as enjoy some more refreshments, if they wish. Now, with that last bit out of the way, it is my privilege and honor to call Sharpay Evans back to the stage, to perform our last number of the show."

Confused, Troy watched Sharpay walk back up to the stage, followed by Gabriella, Taylor, and Kelsi.

"What…?" he asked, glancing at Chad "…Sharpay's doing another number?"

Chad glanced over at him, also confused.

"You didn't know…?" he asked.

"You _did_…?" Troy asked, surprised.

Chad shrugged.

"Taylor mentioned something about it last week," he told him "…she said that she and Gabriella were gonna sing back – up for Sharpay for something, I just figured it was for the song you were doing with her."

Confused, Troy turned to watch Sharpay on stage, as she began her introduction.

"…I would like to dedicate this song to two of the most important people in my life," she said, "one, being my brother, and the other…will always be my hero."

Troy swallowed, and kept his eyes locked on Sharpay as Kelsi started to play the piano's intro.

…Then Sharpay opened her mouth, and started to sing.

'…_For all those times you stood by me  
For all the truth that you made me see  
For all the joy you brought to my life  
For all the wrong that you made right  
For every dream you made come true  
For all the love I found in you  
I'll be forever thankful baby  
You're the one who held me up  
Never let me fall  
You're the one who saw me through through it all_

_You were my strength when I was weak  
You were my voice when I couldn't speak  
You were my eyes when I couldn't see  
You saw the best there was in me  
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach  
You gave me faith 'coz you believed  
I'm everything I am  
Because you loved me_

_You gave me wings and made me fly  
You touched my hand I could touch the sky  
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me  
You said no star was out of reach  
You stood by me and I stood tall  
I had your love I had it all  
I'm grateful for each day you gave me  
Maybe I don't know that much  
But I know this much is true  
I was blessed because I was loved by you_

_You were my strength when I was weak  
You were my voice when I couldn't speak  
You were my eyes when I couldn't see  
You saw the best there was in me  
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach  
You gave me faith 'coz you believed  
I'm everything I am  
Because you loved me_

_You were always there for me  
The tender wind that carried me  
A light in the dark shining your love into my life  
You've been my inspiration  
Through the lies you were the truth  
My world is a better place because of you_

_You were my strength when I was weak  
You were my voice when I couldn't speak  
You were my eyes when I couldn't see  
You saw the best there was in me  
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach  
You gave me faith 'cuz you believed  
I'm everything I am  
Because you loved me_

_I'm everything I am  
Because you loved me_…'

When she ended her final note, the whole audience stood up and applauded. But what most of the audience, excluding Gabriella, Taylor, Chad and Troy, didn't notice, was that as she sang the song, Sharpay had kept her eyes on Troy the whole time.

* * *

Later, after the dance floor and the DJ booth were all set up, and several teenagers had started dancing, including Chad, Taylor, Jason, Kelsi and Zeke…Gabriella and Troy were sitting together at an unoccupied table, near the dance floor. 

"So…" Gabriella began "…quite a night, huh?"

"Yeah…" Troy agreed, with a nod "…those were some nice back – up vocals you were doing, by the way."

"Oh, hey, Sharpay was all the talent in that number," Gabriella told him, brushing off the compliment.

"Yeah, she was great, wasn't she…?" Troy mumbled, then glanced over at Gabriella "…why didn't she tell me she was doing another song?"

"I guess she figured…that you had given her so much this summer, and she just wanted to give something to you in return," Gabriella answered.

"…She's given me a lot more than she could ever know," Troy mumbled.

"…And have you told her that?" Gabriella asked.

A bit taken aback, Troy stared at Gabriella, not knowing how to answer. But before he could even begin to speak, a slow melody started to flow from the speakers, and Zeke walked over to the two of them.

"Miss Montez, may I have this dance…?" he asked, with a slight, goofy bow.

Gabriella grinned, and glanced over at Troy, who simply waved his hand, urging her to go.

"…Of course you may, Mr. Baylor," she replied, and took Zeke's hand, letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. Troy watched them with a calm, but lonely expression.

'…_Words fall out of my mouth  
And I can't seem to trace what I'm saying  
Everybody wants your time  
I'm just dreaming out loud,  
I can't have you for mine and I know it  
I just wanna watch you shine…_'

Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Glancing behind him, Troy saw Sharpay standing over him, a sweet smile on her face.

"Where are your parents…?" he asked.

"They went home," she said. "I got them to agree to let me stay out all night, since this is my last night here, at my home, with my friends…and I don't wanna waste one minute of it."

She then extended her hand to him.

"…So, c'mon…" she said "…dance with me."

'…_When the light falls on your face,  
Don't let it change you  
When the stars get in your eyes,  
Don't let them blind you_…'

Troy smiled and took her hand, then he stood up and they walked out onto the dance floor, together.

When they stopped at an open spot, Sharpay draped her left arm around Troy's neck, and let the finger tips of her right hand rest just on top of his shoulder.

Troy wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on the top of her head, holding her close.

…He was also pulled back into the memory of the first night they had danced together in the park, as he smelled the faint scent of strawberries in her hair.

'…_You're beautiful  
Just the way you are  
And I love it all  
Every line, and every scar  
And I wish that I could make you see  
This is where you ought to be,  
Come down to me._

_Spell it out in a song,  
Bet you never catch on to my weakness  
I'm singing every word for you.  
Here I'm thinking I'm sly  
Then you're catching my eye, and just maybe  
You're thinking what I'm thinking too_

_When you see it on my face,  
Don't let it shake you  
I know better than to try and  
Take you with me._

_…You're beautiful  
Just the way you are  
And I love it all  
Every line, and every scar  
And I wish that I could make you see  
This is where you ought to be,  
Come down to me_…'

When the song ended, Sharpay pulled away from Troy a little, so she could look up into his eyes.

He stared down at her, and opened his mouth to speak.

"Sharpay, I…"

Just then, a drop of water hit him on the head.

Confused, Troy looked up at the sky, and several more drops of water hit him in the face.

As the rain started to come down harder, some girls squealed, and ran for cover inside the country club, Taylor and Gabriella, included. Chad and Jason helped the DJ pack up his gear, while Zeke and a few others took down the spot lights, near the stage, to avoid anything getting ruined, or anyone getting electrocuted.

But Sharpay and Troy just stood in the same spot, staring at each other, letting the rain soak them.

Suddenly, Troy grinned.

…Sharpay did, too.

Then they started laughing.

Sharpay looked up at the sky and let the rain hit her face, and Troy chuckled.

"…Just like old times, huh?" he asked, his voice loud, so she could hear him over the rain.

Sharpay grinned and nodded.

"Hey…you wanna go somewhere?" Troy asked her.

"Absolutely," Sharpay replied.

So Troy took her hand, and led her away.

When they reached the parking lot, Troy and Sharpay hurried into Troy's truck, and when they shut the doors, Troy looked over at Sharpay and smiled.

"…So, where do you want to go?" he asked.

Sharpay shrugged.

"Anywhere is fine with me," she replied.

Troy nodded, and started the truck.

"…Anywhere, it is," he said.

And with that, they drove out of the parking lot.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Troy pulled off the road, and parked in a lush, green field, just at the top of a hill that sloped downward and led to a crystal blue lake. 

"Great, more water...!" said Sharpay.

Troy glanced over at her, questioningly.

"If you don't like it, we could always go somewhere else..." he said.

"...No, no...! It's fine, beautiful, in fact...!" Sharpay insisted "...geez, Bolton, where's your sense of humor?"

Troy sighed, and shrugged.

"I dunno..." he said "...I guess I just don't fell like being funny right now."

Sharpay just nodded, not saying anything, then started to take the elastic and bobbi pins out of her hair.

"God...these bobbi pins are actually starting to hurt my head, they're in so tight...!" she grumbled.

Suddenly, Troy smirked.

"C'mon..." he said, and opened his door to get out.

"What, where are we going?" Sharpay asked.

"Where do you think...?" Troy asked "...now, c'mon!"

So Sharpay opened her door and got out of the truck, and into the rain, with Troy.

Troy headed straight for the back of the truck, and Sharpay followed him.

He opened unlocked the trunk, and opened the bottom hatch and the window, then gestured for Sharpay to get in first.

She complied, and he followed her in, closing up the window and hatch again once he was inside the trunk.

"...I notice you're more prepared for the rain, this time around," Sharpay observed, looking at the pillows and extra blanket that Troy had added into the trunk, weeks before.

"...Yeah, well, it never hurts to be prepared, right?' he said.

Sharpay smiled.

"Right..." she said, softly, as she gazed into his eyes.

Troy gazed back at her, and they just sat there ifor a moment, in silence...then Troy spoke up.

"...I'm sorry," he said.

Sharpay's brow furrowed in confusion.

"...For what?" she asked.

"I just...I feel like I haven't fulfilled my promise," he told her "...I promised to give you the greatest summer ever, and it just feels like...I dunno, like I didn't do enough to make that happen."

Sharpay quirked her eyebrow and gave him a Look.

"Troy, you stayed with me when I was standing out on a golf course, in the middle of a rainstorm, and just listened to me rant, " she said "...you went shopping with me.You took me to a late - night concert in the park, and danced with me. You took me to _two movies_ in one day...! You got me to eat pepperoni pizza. You were with me when I streaked my hair hot pink - "

" - I dyed mine bright red," Troy reminded her.

Sharpay smiled.

"...You taught me how to rollerblade," she continued "...because of you, I was able to drive again! You even sang with me at the talent show tonight, _just me...!_ Troy, you gave me the best summer anyone could ever have...!"

Troy was silent for a moment, as if he was trying to think of what to say, but also as if he had always known how to reply to a comment like this, from her.

"...I love you," he said.

Sharpay just stared at him for a moment, then, all of a sudden, she started to move past him, toward the trunk's hatch.

Troy put his arm across her waist, stopping her.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"...I'm leaving," she said, and tried to move toward the hatch again, but Troy kept his arm across her waist, preventing her from going any farther.

"...Why?" he asked.

"...Because I have to," she said "...do you realize that? Do you realize that you're telling me that you love me, now, but in about eight hours from now, you'll have to say goodbye to me...?"

"...Once in a lifetime means that there's no second chance," Troy reminded her "...and I don't want to need a second chance with you. So yeah, I'm telling you I love you, right now, because I do...besides, what happened to the girl who stood on the golf course four weeks ago and told me that she had fallen in love with me?"

"She's still here," Sharpay told him, her eyes getting misty "...but it was so much easier for me to think about leaving when I thought you just wanted me as a friend. You see, Troy...I can handle leaving you, knowing that I love you and I'm not loved back...but how am I supposed to handle leaving, knowing that I'm actually leaving someone who loves me, behind...?"

"...Don't think about that, right now," he told her.

Sharpay rolled her eyes, and tried to wipe away her tears.

"...How can I not, Troy...?" she asked. "How can I - "

"Sharpay, have you learned nothing this summer...?" Troy asked her. "What happens tomorrow, or the next day, doesn't matter. What matters is right now, and right now, you and I are sitting in the back of my truck, nobody else here but the two of us...and we can't really go anywhere, because the weather is really crappy out there. So, Sharpay...what do you want to do, right now?"

Sharpay gazed at him, momentarily speechless.

"...Right now?" she asked.

"...Right now," he repeated.

Sharpay nodded, took a deep breath, and looked him in the eye.

"Right now...I want you to kiss me," she said.

Troy smiled faintly, then leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

It was a soft kiss at first, but then Sharpay put her hand on the side of his face and started to deepen it.

Just like when they were dancing, Troy wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, like he planned to never let her go.

It was Sharpay who finally broke the kiss, and when she did, she opened her eyes and simply gazed at him for a moment, and then she leaned in and rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes agin, taking in his scent, his touch...everything.

...She wanted to remember everything.

"...I love you, too," she whispered.

Troy smiled and kissed her forehead.

"...I also don't want you to take me home, tonight," she continued, and looked back into his eyes, waiting for his reaction.

Troy stared at her for a moment.

"...Are you sure?" he asked.

Sharpay smiled, and gestured around the small space.

"Can you think of any better ending to a summer...then being right back to where it started?" she asked.

Troy smiled, faintly.

"...No," he said "I can't."

Sharpay smiled, and leaned in to kiss him again...then she laid down on the blanket, and pulled him down with her.

* * *

Shasrpay groggily opened her eyes to see the sun shining in through the small car window. 

Holding the blanket to her chest, she sat up and looked around, taking in her surroundings.

She was in the back of a truck...naked...and Troy Bolton was lying next to her, sound asleep.

She pulled a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and gazed down at him.

...Her hero.

Sharpay smiled.

"Thank you, Troy..." she whispered "...for everything."

She then sat up a bit straighter and looked around the trunk, as if she was looking for something.

...And her eyes finally landed on her green purse, that was nestled into a corner, near her elbow.

She grabbed the purse and started to rifle through it...careful not to wake Troy as she searched for the desired item.

* * *

When Taylor pulled up to the Evans home, an hour later, she parked the car in the driveway and looked over at Sharpay, who was in the passenger seat. 

"So...it was a happy ending...?" Taylor asked.

Sharpay smiled, fainitly, and nodded.

"Yeah..." she said "...it was."

Taylor nodded, then reached across to hug Sharpay, who hugged her back.

"I'm gonna miss you, girl..." Taylor whispered.

"I'm gonna miss you, too," Sharpay replied.

After the hug ended, Sharpay turned to open her door, then glanced back at Taylor.

"...Say goodbye to the Wildcats for me?" she asked.

Taylor nodded. "I will," she said.

With a smile, Sharpay opened her door to get out, but Taylor apparently wasn't done.

"...Hey, Sharpay...!" she said.

Sharpay turned to look at her.

"Yeah...?" she asked.

Taylor gave her a smile.

"...Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat," she said.

Sharpay smiled, then got out of the car, and shut the door behind her.

With one final wave to Taylor, Sharpay watched as the other girl pulled out of the driveway, and drove off down the street.

After Taylor had left, Sharpay walked to the side of the house, and started to climb up the trellis, to the roof.

When she reached the roof, Sharpay quickly crawled across to her window, then unlatched it and started to climb inside, to her room.

...And it was when she was halfway in, that she noticed her mother, sitting on her bed.

"...Mother!" Sharpay exclaimed, more quietly than she'd expected herself to sound.

Sharpay's mother wordlessly beckoned for Sharpay to get inside and close the window, which she did.

"...We need to talk, Sharpay," she said.

* * *

Back in his truck, Troy groaned as he opened his eyes, and noticed the sunlight shining through the back window. 

"...Sharpay...?" he called out, groggily, and turned over to face Sharpay...who wasn't there.

...But something else was, because when he turned over, he felt something slide off his chest, and clatter onto the floor of the trunk.

Troy looked around for the mystery object, and found it lying next to him, on his right side.

...it was a clear, plastic CD case, with a silver disc inside,and a small, pink note stuck to the front of it.

_To My Hero,_

_Always,_

_Sharpay_

With a sigh, Troy took off the pink piece of paper, to see that something was written, in black marker, on the CD, itself...

_Troy & Sharpay's Summer Soundtrack._

Troy turned the case over to see if anything was written on the back, as well.

_1) Speechless - The Veronicas_

_2) Clumsy - Fergie_

_3) Shut Up And Drive - Rihanna_

_4) Friend - Kaitlyn_

_5) Because You Loved me - Celine Dion_

_6) Come Down To Me - Saving Jane (I was the one who requested it to the DJ...)_

Troy took a deep breath, and tapped the CD case against his knuckles, as if he was thinking about something...then he started to look around the trunk for his clothes.

* * *

Fully clothed now, and ten minutes away from home, Troy sat in his truck, at a red light, and continued to listen to the CD Sharpay had made for him. 

'..._You don't have to be cool,_

_Don't have to be smart,_

_Don't need to know anything all the time,_

_It's alright if you're a little bit out of it,_

_I don't care,_

_...I just wanna be, I just wanna be your friend..._'

When the light finally turned green, instead of continuing to head straight, Troy turned to the right, and headed in the direction of Sharpay's house.

* * *

When Troy finally pulled into the Evans driveway, he saw two U - Haul trucks already there. 

"...Hey, kid!" one of the drivers yelled, as he lifted a small table into his truck "...move it, you're blockin' my truck!"

"...Sorry, man, but this is an emergency...!" Troy yelled, as he hurried out of his truck and slammed the door.

Suddenly, Sharpay walked out the front door and stared at him, questioningly.

"Troy...!" she exclaimed "...what are you doing here?"

Determined, Troy hurried over to her.

"...I can't let you leave," he told her.

"Troy - "

" - I love you," Troy continued "...and I don't want you to go, I know it sounds selfish, but it's just how I feel, Sharpay."

Sharpay opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"...Say something, Sharpay!" Troy urged.

"Troy...!" Vance greeted, as he walked out the front door, his wife following close behind "...I didn't know you were coming to see us off."

"...I'm not," Troy told him "...I'm here to try and convince you to let Sharpay stay."

Sharpay's father blinked in confusion.

"...What?" he asked.

"I love your daughter, sir," Troy told him "...and I want to be with her. I want to take care of her, and spend every second with her...but I can't do that if you take her away from me."

Vance looked questioningly at his daughter.

"You didn't tell him...?" he asked.

Smiling, tears shimmered in Sharpay's eyes.

"...I haven't gotten the chance to, yet," she told him.

Troy frowned.

"...Tell me what?" he asked.

"...My parents are moving to Colorado, Troy," she told him "...they've agreed to let me stay here, in Albuquerque, and let me live in my own apartment."

At first, Troy was speechless, he just looked from Sharpay, to her parents...then back at Sharpay.

...Then he grinned.

"YEEEES...!" he cheered, and hugged Sharpay tightly, then swung her around in a circle, making her laugh.

When he put her down again, he went straight for Mr. and Mrs. Evans and shook both their hands, enthusiastically.

"...Oh, thank you, sir...! Thank you, Mrs. Evans...!" he exclaimed "...Oh, this is _awesome_...!"

Then Troy turned back to Sharpay and swung her around again, making her laugh even more.

When he put her down again, he looked into her eyes for a moment, then leaned in and kissed her.

Mr. Evans opened his mouth to say something, but his wife pinched him in the arm.

"...Let it go,Vance," she said, as she watched her daughter smile brighter then she ever had, as she was held in the arms of her true love.

* * *

_...THAT'S IT FOLKS!_

_...OK, I'm lying, there's an epilogue._

_:P_

_But it's a SHORT epilogue...!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


	12. Epilogue

_Disclaimer: If ya haven't gotten the message by now, you're never gonna get it….._

**Epilogue**

It had been eight years since that fateful summer, and Sharpay and Troy were still going strong.

…Now, if the same went for their five – year old son, Sharpay wouldn't be as frazzled as she was, on that particular summer morning.

Because on that particular summer morning, Sharpay was trying to be patient, while waiting for her son to get ready for his first day of Junior Jumper's Basketball Camp, which Troy was planning on taking him to…with Uncle Chad tagging along, of course.

Rolling her eyes and heaving a frustrated sigh, Sharpay went to the foot of the stairs, and put her hands on her hips.

"NICHOLAS RYAN BOLTON…!" she bellowed "…you're gonna be late if you don't hurry up and get down here…!"

"But mom…!"

"Right now, mister…!"

Just then, Troy walked in through the front door.

"Chad's in the driveway," he told his wife "…where's the kid?"

Sharpay glared at him.

"_Your son_ is still upstairs, doing who knows what, and making himself late for his first day of Junior Jumpers…!" she told him.

Troy smiled, and put his arm around Sharpay.

"Well, God forbid that a Bolton man is late for basketball camp…!" he said.

"They're your genes at work, not mine…" Sharpay told him.

"Meaning…?"

"_Meaning_, getting him into basketball was your idea…!" Sharpay reminded him.

"…You didn't try to stop me…!"

"_Just get him down here_…!"

"OK, I'll go get him…" Troy told her, in a soothing voice. "He's only five, Shar…he doesn't know how to keep track of time, yet."

"Just go get him…!" said Sharpay.

Troy smiled, and kissed her forehead.

"Yes, dear…" he said, and began to walk up the stairs.

"Nicky, buddy, let's go…!" he called out.

"Daddy, I can't find the lucky hat…!" his son hollered, from his room.

Troy reached the doorway to his son's room and smiled at the scene before him.

The little boy, who was practically Troy's miniature twin, was lying flat on his stomach, on his bedroom floor, looking under his bed.

Nicholas brought himself into a sitting position and pouted at his father, a perplexed look in his bright blue eyes.

"Daddy, I want the hat…!" he whined.

"Buddy, it's still too big for you…!" Troy reminded him.

"But I wanna at least keep it in my backpack, just for luck…daddy, please help me find it…?" Nicholas begged.

Troy sighed, then walked back to the top of the stairs and looked down at his wife.

"Shar, do you know where my hat is…?" he called down to her.

"…It's too big for him!" Sharpay reminded him.

"He'll get downstairs and out the door a lot faster if you just tell me – "

" – OK, OK…!" Sharpay raised her hands in defeat, and thought for a moment. "It's uh…it's down here in the closet!" she said, and went to the coat closet that was next to the front door.

"Hey, buddy…!" Troy called out "…your mom found it!"

Hearing this, Troy and Sharpay's young son bolted down the stairs, past his father, and ran straight to his mother…who handed him Troy's green and blue plaid baseball hat .

"…Thanks, mom!" Nicholas exclaimed, and stuffed the bag into his backpack.

"Well, it's what I'm here for," said Sharpay "…I am a super hero, after all."

"Hey, what about me…?" Troy asked.

"Well, you're _my_ hero…" Sharpay reminded him, with a smile.

"How is daddy your hero, mommy…?" Nicholas asked.

"Well…" Sharpay began, glancing at Troy "…daddy…makes good excuses for mommy when Grandma calls."

"…Which is something I should really get an award for, since _I'm_ the one who always ends up talking to her…" Troy grumbled.

Suddenly, a honk was heard from the driveway.

"…Sounds like Uncle Chad's getting a bit impatient," said Troy "…hey, Nick, why don't you go out there and get in the car with him, and tell him I'll be right out…?"

Nicholas nodded.

"Ok," he said, then turned to his mother and reached out his arms for a hug.

Sharpay smiled and bent down to hug him tightly.

"…Have a good day, buddy…" she said.

Nicholas pulled away from his mother and smiled.

"Don't worry, mommy…" he said. "I'll be fine…cuz Uncle Ryan'll be watching me, right…?"

Sharpay and Troy both smiled.

"You bet he will," Troy told him. "Yeah, he'll be watching from heaven, and he'll be proud as…"

Then he glanced over at Sharpay, who raised an eyebrow.

"…As can be," Troy finished.

Sharpay rolled her eyes.

Nicholas smiled, and walked out the front door, with one final wave to his mother.

Once the door shut behind him, Sharpay looked over at Troy.

"…You call me if anything happens to him," she told him.

"…I will!"

"…Even if it's just a minor band – aid injury, I wanna know about it."

"…I know!"

"Troy…"

Troy smiled and leaned over to give his wife a kiss.

"…I'll be your eyes and ears, baby," he promised.

Sharpay smiled.

"…My hero," she said.

With one last goodbye kiss, Troy walked out the door, and went down the driveway to get in the passenger – side of Chad's SUV.

Sharpay stood in the doorway and watched them back out of the driveway, waving to her as they did so.

She waved back, and as they got on to the street and drove away, Sharpay looked around her, at all the children playing and laughing, and the birds chirping….

But what Sharpay loved the most…was the clear, blue sky.

Smiling to herself, Sharpay turned around and walked back into the house, closing the door behind her.

She then walked into the kitchen, and turned on the radio.

"OK, everybody…" The DJ began "…here's a little bit of a blast from the past, and it seems like every time we play one of these old songs, it always stirs up some kind of memories for somebody out there, so let's see what kind of memories you get from this one…"

'…_You're not alone  
Together we stand  
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand  
When it gets cold  
And it feels like the end  
There's no place to go  
You know I won't give in  
No I won't give in_

_Keep holding on  
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
Just stay strong  
'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you  
There's nothing you could say  
Nothing you could do  
There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
So keep holding on  
'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_…'

Sharpay smiled to herself as she listened to the song, and sipped her coffee.

…Because even though it wasn't one of the songs on the CD Sharpay had burned for Troy, all those years ago, the lyrics still dwelled up nearly every single memory she had of that summer…

….The summer she had lost one best friend, and gained another.

…As well as a boyfriend, a confidante, a true love…and someone who would take her to two movies in one day, go shopping with her, and dye their hair bright red, just to make her happy.

* * *

T H E E N D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* * *

_...Wow, this is the first fanfiction I ever finished...I'm so proud of me...!_

_And I just wanna thank everybody who ever reviewed this story, for reviewing this story (even the girl who threw fruit at me, after Ryan died). You guys all totally ROCK!!!_

_...And if anybody ever finds those gold high heels on eBay, let me me know..._

_ peace, love, ducks, and monkeys...!_

_- Ace's Buddy_


End file.
